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+Project Gutenberg's Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15), by Charles Morris
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15)
+       The Romance of Reality
+
+Author: Charles Morris
+
+Release Date: June 5, 2006 [EBook #18511]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORICAL TALES, VOL. 4 (OF 15) ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Dave Kline, Janet Blenkinship and The Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  Édition d'Élite
+
+
+  Historical Tales
+
+  The Romance of Reality
+
+
+  By
+
+  CHARLES MORRIS
+
+  _Author of "Half-Hours with the Best American Authors," "Tales from the
+  Dramatists," etc._
+
+
+
+
+  IN FIFTEEN VOLUMES
+
+  Volume IV
+
+  English
+
+
+
+
+  J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+  PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
+
+  Copyright, 1893, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
+  Copyright, 1904, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
+  Copyright, 1908, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
+
+
+[Illustration: WARWICK CASTLE.]
+
+
+  _CONTENTS_
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+  HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN                                         9
+
+  KING ALFRED AND THE DANES                                           19
+
+  THE WOOING OF ELFRIDA                                               35
+
+  THE END OF SAXON ENGLAND                                            49
+
+  HEREWARD THE WAKE                                                   62
+
+  THE DEATH OF THE RED KING                                           77
+
+  HOW THE WHITE SHIP SAILED                                           86
+
+  A CONTEST FOR A CROWN                                               93
+
+  THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION                             107
+
+  ROBIN HOOD AND THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE                121
+
+  WALLACE, THE HERO OF SCOTLAND                                      136
+
+  BRUCE AT BANNOCKBURN                                               149
+
+  THE SIEGE OF CALAIS                                                162
+
+  THE BLACK PRINCE AT POITIERS                                       174
+
+  WAT TYLER AND THE MEN OF KENT                                      185
+
+  THE WHITE ROSE OF ENGLAND                                          196
+
+  THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD                                     213
+
+  THE STORY OF ARABELLA STUART                                       228
+
+  LOVE'S KNIGHT-ERRANT                                               241
+
+  THE TAKING OF PONTEFRACT CASTLE                                    262
+
+  THE ADVENTURES OF A ROYAL FUGITIVE                                 276
+
+  CROMWELL AND THE PARLIAMENT                                        297
+
+  THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY                                          305
+
+  THE HUNTING OF BRAEMAR                                             315
+
+  THE FLIGHT OF PRINCE CHARLES                                       324
+
+  TRAFALGAR AND THE DEATH OF NELSON                                  339
+
+  THE MASSACRE OF AN ARMY                                            349
+
+  THE JUBILEES OF QUEEN VICTORIA                                     358
+
+
+
+
+  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+  ENGLISH.
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+  WARWICK CASTLE                                         _Frontispiece_.
+
+  CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL                                                12
+
+  AN ANGLO-SAXON KING                                                 19
+
+  ELY CATHEDRAL                                                       66
+
+  STATUE OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION                                    116
+
+  ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS                                                 123
+
+  THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING                                     141
+
+  STIRLING CASTLE                                                    153
+
+  THE PORT OF CALAIS                                                 162
+
+  CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME, POITIERS                                     177
+
+  WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE                                                188
+
+  BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES                                     196
+
+  HENRY THE EIGHTH                                                   218
+
+  ROTTEN ROW, LONDON                                                 235
+
+  THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID                                           251
+
+  SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON                                            286
+
+  OLIVER CROMWELL                                                    298
+
+  EDINBURGH CASTLE                                                   319
+
+  THE OLD TEMERAIRE                                                  340
+
+  NORTH FRONT OF WINDSOR CASTLE                                      362
+
+
+
+
+_HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN._
+
+
+One day, in the far-off sixth century, a youthful deacon of the Roman
+Church walked into the slave-market of Rome, situated at one extremity
+of the ancient Forum. Gregory, his name; his origin from an ancient
+noble family, whose genealogy could be traced back to the days of the
+early Cæsars. A youth was this of imperial powers of mind, one who, had
+he lived when Rome was mistress of the physical world, might have become
+emperor; but who, living when Rome had risen to lordship over the
+spiritual world, became pope,--the famous Gregory the Great.
+
+In the Forum the young deacon saw that which touched his sympathetic
+soul. Here cattle were being sold; there, men. His eyes were specially
+attracted by a group of youthful slaves, of aspect such as he had never
+seen before. They were bright of complexion, their hair long and golden,
+their expression of touching innocence. Their fair faces were strangely
+unlike the embrowned complexions to which he had been accustomed, and he
+stood looking at them in admiration, while the slave-dealers extolled
+their beauty of face and figure.
+
+"From what country do these young men come?" asked Gregory.
+
+"They are English, Angles," answered the dealers.
+
+"Not Angles, but angels," said the deacon, with a feeling of poetic
+sentiment, "for they have angel-like faces. From what country come
+they?" he repeated.
+
+"They come from Deira," said the merchants.
+
+"_De irâ_" he rejoined, fervently; "ay, plucked from God's ire and
+called to Christ's mercy. And what is the name of their king?"
+
+"Ella," was the answer.
+
+"Alleluia shall be sung there!" cried the enthusiastic young monk, his
+imagination touched by the significance of these answers. He passed on,
+musing on the incident which had deeply stirred his sympathies, and
+considering how the light of Christianity could be shed upon the pagan
+lands whence these fair strangers came.
+
+It was a striking picture which surrounded that slave-market. From where
+the young deacon stood could be seen the capitol of ancient Rome and the
+grand proportions of its mighty Coliseum; not far away the temple of
+Jupiter Stator displayed its magnificent columns, and other stately
+edifices of the imperial city came within the circle of vision. Rome had
+ceased to be the mistress of the world, but it was not yet in ruins, and
+many of its noble edifices still stood almost in perfection. But
+paganism had vanished. The cross of Christ was the dominant symbol. The
+march of the warriors of the legions was replaced by long processions
+of cowled and solemn monks. The temporal imperialism of Rome had
+ceased, the spiritual had begun; instead of armies to bring the world
+under the dominion of the sword, that ancient city now sent out its
+legions of priests to bring it under the dominion of the cross.
+
+Gregory resolved to be one of the latter. A fair new field for
+missionary labor lay in that distant island, peopled by pagans whose
+aspect promised to make them noble subjects of Christ's kingdom upon
+earth. The enthusiastic youth left Rome to seek Saxon England, moved
+thereto not by desire of earthly glory, but of heavenly reward. But this
+was not to be. His friends deemed that he was going to death, and begged
+the pope to order his return. Gregory was brought back and England
+remained pagan.
+
+Years went by. The humble deacon rose to be bishop of Rome and head of
+the Christian world. Gregory the Great, men named him, though he styled
+himself "Servant of the servants of God," and lived in like humility and
+simplicity of style as when he was a poor monk.
+
+The time at length came to which Gregory had looked forward. Ethelbert,
+king of Kentish England, married Bertha, daughter of the French king
+Charibert, a fervent Christian woman. A few priests came with her to
+England, and the king gave them a ruined Christian edifice, the Church
+of St. Martin, outside the walls of Canterbury, for their worship. But
+it was overshadowed by a pagan temple, and the worship of Odin and Thor
+still dominated Saxon England.
+
+Gregory took quick advantage of this opportunity. The fair faces of the
+English slaves still appealed to his pitying soul, and he now sent
+Augustine, prior of St. Andrew's at Rome, with a band of forty monks as
+missionaries to England. It was the year of our Lord 597. The
+missionaries landed at the very spot where Hengist the Saxon conqueror
+had landed more than a century before. The one had brought the sword to
+England, the others brought the cross. King Ethelbert knew of their
+coming and had agreed to receive them; but, by the advice of his
+priests, who feared conjuration and spells of magic, he gave them
+audience in the open air, where such spells have less power. The place
+was on the chalk-down above Minster, whence, miles away across the
+intervening marshes, one may to-day behold the distant tower of
+Canterbury cathedral.
+
+The scene, as pictured to us in the chronicles of the monks, was a
+picturesque and inspiring one. The hill selected for the meeting
+overlooked the ocean. King Ethelbert, with Queen Bertha by his side,
+awaited in state his visitors. Around were grouped the warriors of Kent
+and the priests of Odin. Silence reigned, and in the distance the monks
+could be seen advancing in solemn procession, singing as they came. He
+who came first bore a large silver crucifix. Another carried a banner
+with the painted image of Christ. The deep and solemn music, the
+venerable and peaceful aspect of the strangers, the solemnity of the
+occasion, touched the heart of Ethelbert, already favorably inclined, as
+we may believe, to the faith of his loved wife.
+
+Augustine had brought interpreters from Gaul. By their aid he conveyed
+to the king the message he had been sent to bring. Ethelbert listened in
+silence, the queen in rapt attention, the warriors and priests doubtless
+with varied sentiments. The appeal of Augustine at an end, Ethelbert
+spoke.
+
+"Your words are fair," he said, "but they are new, and of doubtful
+meaning. For myself, I propose to worship still the gods of my fathers.
+But you bring peace and good words; you are welcome to my kingdom; while
+you stay here you shall have shelter and protection."
+
+His land was a land of plenty, he told them; food, drink, and lodging
+should be theirs, and none should do them wrong; England should be their
+home while they chose to stay.
+
+With these words the audience ended. Augustine and his monks fell again
+into procession, and, with singing of psalms and display of holy
+emblems, moved solemnly towards the city of Canterbury, where Bertha's
+church awaited them. As they entered the city they sang:
+
+"Turn from this city, O Lord, thine anger and wrath, and turn it from
+Thy holy house, for we have sinned." Then Gregory's joyful cry of
+"Alleluia! Alleluia!" burst from their devout lips, as they moved into
+the first English church.
+
+[Illustration: CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.]
+
+The work of the "strangers from Rome" proceeded but slowly. Some
+converts were made, but Ethelbert held aloof. Fortunately for Augustine,
+he had an advocate in the palace, one with near and dear speech in the
+king's ear. We cannot doubt that the gentle influence of Queen Bertha
+was a leading power in Ethelbert's conversion. A year passed. At its end
+the king gave way. On the day of Pentecost he was baptized. Christ had
+succeeded Odin and Thor on the throne of the English heart, for the
+story of the king's conversion carried his kingdom with it. The men of
+Kent, hearing that their king had adopted the new faith, crowded the
+banks of the Swale, eager for baptism. The under-kings of Essex and
+East-Anglia became Christians. On the succeeding Christmas-day ten
+thousand of the people followed the example of their king. The new faith
+spread with wonderful rapidity throughout the kingdom of Kent.
+
+When word of this great event reached Pope Gregory at Rome his heart was
+filled with joy. He exultingly wrote to a friend that his missionaries
+had spread the religion of Christ "in the most remote parts of the
+world," and at once appointed Augustine archbishop of Canterbury and
+primate of all England, that he might complete the work he had so
+promisingly begun. Such is the story of the Christianizing of England as
+told in the ancient chronicle of the venerable Bede, the earliest of
+English writers.
+
+As yet only Kent had been converted. North of it lay the kingdom of
+Northumbria, still a pagan realm. The story of its conversion, as told
+by Bede, is of no less interest than that just related. Edwin was its
+king, a man of great ability for that early day. His prowess is shown in
+a proverb: "A woman with her babe might walk scathless from sea to sea
+in Edwin's day." The highways, long made dangerous by outlaw and
+ruthless warrior, were now safe avenues of travel; the springs by the
+road-side were marked by stakes, while brass cups beside them awaited
+the traveller's hand. Edwin ruled over all northern England, as
+Ethelbert did over the south. Edinburgh was within his dominions, and
+from him it had its name,--Edwin's burgh, the city of Edwin.
+
+Christianity came to this monarch's heart in some such manner as it had
+reached that of Ethelbert, through the appealing influence of his wife.
+A daughter of King Ethelbert had come to share his throne. She, like
+Bertha her mother, was a Christian. With her came the monk Paulinus,
+from the church at Canterbury. He was a man of striking aspect,--of tall
+and stooping form, slender, aquiline nose, and thin, worn face, round
+which fell long black hair. The ardent missionary, aided doubtless by
+the secret appeals of the queen, soon produced an influence upon the
+intelligent mind of Edwin. The monarch called a council of his wise men,
+to talk with them about the new doctrine which had been taught in his
+realm. Of what passed at that council we have but one short speech, but
+it is one that illuminates it as no other words could have done, a
+lesson in prose which is full of the finest spirit of poetry, perhaps
+the most picturesque image of human life that has ever been put into
+words.
+
+"So seems to me the life of man, O king," said an aged noble, "as a
+sparrow's flight through the hall when you are sitting at meat in
+winter-tide, with the warm fire lighted on the hearth, while outside all
+is storm of rain and snow. The sparrow flies in at one door, and tarries
+for a moment in the light and heat of the fire within, and then, flying
+forth from the other, vanishes into the wintry darkness whence it came.
+So the life of man tarries for a moment in our sight; but of what went
+before it, or what is to follow it, we know nothing. If this new
+teaching tells us something more certain of these things, let us follow
+it."
+
+Such an appeal could not but have a powerful effect upon his hearers.
+Those were days when men were more easily moved by sentiment than by
+argument. Edwin and his councillors heard with favoring ears. Not last
+among them was Coifi, chief priest of the idol-worship, whose ardent
+soul was stirred by the words of the old thane.
+
+"None of your people, King Edwin, have worshipped the gods more busily
+than I," he said, "yet there are many who have been more favored and are
+more fortunate. Were these gods good for anything they would help their
+worshippers."
+
+Grasping his spear, the irate priest leaped on his horse, and riding at
+full speed towards the temple sacred to the heathen gods, he hurled the
+warlike weapon furiously into its precincts.
+
+The lookers-on, nobles and commons alike, beheld his act with awe, in
+doubt if the deities of their old worship would not avenge with death
+this insult to their fane. Yet all remained silent; no thunders rent the
+skies; the desecrating priest sat his horse unharmed. When, then, he
+bade them follow him to the neighboring stream, to be baptized in its
+waters into the new faith, an eager multitude crowded upon his steps.
+
+The spot where Edwin and his followers were baptized is thus described
+by Camden, in his "Description of Great Britain," etc.: "In the Roman
+times, not far from its bank upon the little river Foulness (where
+Wighton, a small town, but well-stocked with husbandmen, now stands),
+there seems to have formerly stood Delgovitia; as it is probable both
+from the likeness and the signification of the name. For the British
+word _Delgwe_ (or rather _Ddelw_) signifies the statues or images of the
+heathen gods; and in a little village not far off there stood an
+idol-temple, which was in very great honor in the Saxon times, and, from
+the heathen gods in it, was then called Godmundingham, and now, in the
+same sense, Godmanham." It was into this temple that Coifi flung his
+desecrating spear, and in this stream that Edwin the king received
+Christian baptism.
+
+But Christianity did not win England without a struggle. After the
+death of Ethelbert and Edwin, paganism revived and fought hard for the
+mastery. The Roman monks lost their energy, and were confined to the
+vicinity of Canterbury. Conversion came again, but from the west instead
+of the east, from Ireland instead of Rome.
+
+Christianity had been received with enthusiasm in Erin's isle. Less than
+half a century after the death of St. Patrick, the first missionary,
+flourishing Christian schools existed at Darrow and Armagh, letters and
+the arts were cultivated, and missionaries were leaving the shores of
+Ireland to carry the faith elsewhere. From the famous monastery which
+they founded at Iona, on the west coast of Scotland, came the new
+impulse which gave Christianity its fixed footing in England, and
+finally drove paganism from Britain's shores. Oswald, of Northumbria,
+became the bulwark of the new faith; Penda, of Mercia, the sword of
+heathendom; and a long struggle for religion and dominion ensued between
+these warlike chiefs. Oswald was slain in battle; Penda led his
+conquering host far into the Christian realm; but a new king, Oswi by
+name, overthrew Penda and his army in a great defeat, and the worship of
+the older gods in England was at an end. But a half-century of struggle
+and bloodshed passed before the victory of Christ over Odin was fully
+won.
+
+
+
+
+_KING ALFRED AND THE DANES._
+
+
+In his royal villa at Chippenham, on the left bank of the gently-flowing
+Avon, sat King Alfred, buried in his books. It was the evening of the
+6th of January, in the year 878, a thousand years and more backward in
+time. The first of English kings to whom a book had a meaning,--and the
+last for centuries afterwards,--Alfred, the young monarch, had an
+insatiable thirst for knowledge, a thirst then difficult to quell, for
+books were almost as rare as gold-mines in that day. When a mere child,
+his mother had brought to him and his brothers a handsomely illuminated
+book, saying,--
+
+"I will give this to that one of you four princes who first learns to
+read."
+
+Alfred won the book; so far as we know, he alone sought to win it, for
+the art of reading in those early times was confined to monks, and
+disdained by princes. Ignorance lay like a dismal cloud over England,
+ignorance as dense as the heart of the Dark Ages knew. In the whole land
+the young prince was almost alone in his thirst for knowledge; and when
+he made an effort to study Latin, in which language all worthy
+literature was then written, we are told that there could not be found
+throughout the length and breadth of the land a man competent to teach
+him that sealed tongue. This, however, loses probability in view of the
+fact that the monks were familiar with Latin and that Alfred succeeded
+in acquiring a knowledge of that language.
+
+When little more than a boy Alfred became king. There was left him then
+little time for study, for the Danes, whose ships had long been
+descending in annual raids on England's shores, gave the youthful
+monarch an abundance of more active service. For years he fought them,
+yet in his despite Guthrum, one of their ablest chiefs, sailed up the
+Severn, seized upon a wide region of the realm of Wessex, made
+Gloucester his capital, and defied the feebly-supported English king.
+
+It was midwinter now, a season which the Danes usually spent in rest and
+revelry, and in which England gained some relief from their devastating
+raids. Alfred, dreaming of aught but war, was at home with his slender
+store of much-beloved books in his villa at Chippenham. With him were a
+few of his thanes and a small body of armed attendants, their enjoyment
+the pleasures of the chase and the rude sports of that early period.
+Doubtless, what they deemed the womanish or monkish tastes of their
+young monarch were objects of scorn and ridicule to those hardy thanes,
+upon whom ignorance lay like a thick garment. Yet Alfred could fight as
+well as read. They might disdain his pursuits; they must respect his
+prowess.
+
+While the king lay thus in ease at Chippenham, his enemies at
+Gloucester seemed lost in enjoyment of their spoils. Guthrum had divided
+the surrounding lands among his victorious followers, the Saxons had
+been driven out, slain, or enslaved, and the brutal and barbarous
+victors dwelt in peace and revelry on their new lands, spending the
+winter in riot and wassail, and waiting for the spring-time budding of
+the trees to renew the war with their Saxon foes.
+
+[Illustration: AN ANGLO-SAXON KING.]
+
+Not so with Guthrum. He had sworn revenge on the Saxons. Years before,
+his father, a mighty chieftain, Ragnar by name, had fallen in a raid on
+England. His sons had vowed to Odin to wash out the memory of his death
+in English blood, and Guthrum now determined to take advantage of the
+midwinter season for a sudden and victorious march upon his unsuspecting
+enemy. If he could seize Alfred in his palace, the war might be brought
+to an end, and England won, at a single blow.
+
+If we can take ourselves back in fancy to New-Year's day of 878, and to
+an open plain in the vicinity of Gloucester, we shall see there the
+planted standard of Guthrum floating in the wind, while from every side
+armed horsemen are riding into the surrounding space. They know not why
+they come. A hasty summons has been sent them to meet their chieftain
+here on this day, armed and mounted, and, loyal to their leader, and
+ever ready for war, they ride hastily in, until the Danish champion
+finds himself surrounded by a strong force of hardy warriors, eager to
+learn the cause of this midwinter summons.
+
+"It is war," said Guthrum to his chiefs. "I have sworn to have England,
+and England shall be mine. The Saxons are scattered and at rest, not
+dreaming of battle and blood. Now is our time. A hard and sudden blow
+will end the war, and the fair isle of England will be the Raven's
+spoil."
+
+We may still hear in fancy the wild shouts of approval with which this
+stirring declaration was heard. Visions of slaughter, plunder, and rich
+domains filled the souls of chiefs and men alike, and their eagerness to
+take to the field was such that they could barely wait to hear their
+leader's plans.
+
+"Alfred, the Saxon king, must be ours," said Guthrum. "He is the one man
+I dread in all the Saxon hosts. They have many hands, but only one head.
+Let us seize the head, and the hands are useless. Alfred is at
+Chippenham. Thither let us ride at speed."
+
+Their bands were mustered, their arms examined, and food for the
+expedition prepared, and then to horse and away! Headlong over the
+narrow and forest-bordered roads of that day rode the host of Danes, in
+triumphant expectation of victory and spoil.
+
+In his study sat Alfred, on the night of January 6, poring over an
+illuminated page; or mayhap he was deep in learned consultation with
+some monkish scholar, mayhap presiding at a feast of his thanes: we may
+fancy what we will, for history or legend fails to tell us how he was
+engaged on that critical evening of his life.
+
+But we may imagine a wide-eyed Saxon sentinel, seared and hasty,
+breaking upon the monarch's leisure with the wild alarm-cry,--
+
+"Up and away, my king! The Danes are coming! hosts of them, armed and
+horsed! Up and away!"
+
+Hardly had he spoken before the hoof-beats of the advancing foe were
+heard. On they came, extending their lines as they rode at headlong
+speed, hoping to surround the villa and seize the king before the alarm
+could be given.
+
+They were too late. Alfred was quick to hear, to heed, and to act.
+Forest bordered the villa; into the forest he dashed, his followers
+following in tumultuous haste. The Danes made what haste the
+obstructions in their way permitted. In a few minutes they had swept
+round the villa, with ringing shouts of triumph. In a few minutes more
+they were treading its deserted halls, Guthrum at their head, furious to
+find that his hoped-for prey had vanished and left him but the empty
+shell of his late home.
+
+"After him!" cried the furious Dane. "He cannot be far. This place is
+full of signs of life. He has fled into the forest. After him! A king's
+prize for the man who seizes him."
+
+In vain their search, the flying king knew his own woods too well to be
+overtaken by the Danes. Yet their far cries filled his ears, and roused
+him to thoughts of desperate resistance. He looked around on his handful
+of valiant followers.
+
+"Let us face them!" he cried, in hot anger. "We are few, but we fight
+for our homes. Let us meet these baying hounds!"
+
+"No, no," answered the wisest of his thanes. "It would be worse than
+rash, it would be madness. They are twenty--a hundred, mayhap--to our
+one. Let us fly now, that we may fight hereafter. All is not lost while
+our king is free, and we to aid him."
+
+Alfred was quick to see the wisdom of this advice. He must bide his
+time. To strike now might be to lose all. To wait might be to gain all.
+He turned with a meaning look to his faithful thanes.
+
+"In sooth, you speak well," he said. "The wisdom of the fox is now
+better than the courage of the lion. We must part here. The land for the
+time is the Danes'. We cannot hinder them. They will search homestead
+and woodland for me. Before a fortnight's end they will have swarmed
+over all Wessex, and Guthrum will be lord of the land. I admire that
+man; he is more than a barbarian, he knows the art of war. He shall
+learn yet that Alfred is his match. We must part."
+
+"Part?" said the thanes, looking at him in doubt. "Wherefore?"
+
+"I must seek safety alone and in disguise. There are not enough of you
+to help me; there are enough to betray me to suspicion. Go your ways,
+good friends. Save yourselves. We will meet again before many weeks to
+strike a blow for our country. But the time is not yet."
+
+History speaks not from the depths of that woodland whither Alfred had
+fled with his thanes. We cannot say if just these words were spoken, but
+such was the purport of their discourse. They separated, the thanes and
+their followers to seek their homes; Alfred, disguised as a peasant, to
+thread field and forest on foot towards a place of retreat which he had
+fixed upon in his mind. Not even to the faithfulest of his thanes did he
+tell the secret of his abode. For the present it must be known to none
+but himself.
+
+Meanwhile, the cavalry of Guthrum were raiding the country far and wide.
+Alfred had escaped, but England lay helpless in their grasp. News
+travelled slowly in those days. Everywhere the Saxons first learned of
+the war by hearing the battle-cry of the Danes. The land was overrun.
+England seemed lost. Its only hope of safety lay in a man who would not
+acknowledge defeat, a monarch who could bide his time.
+
+The lonely journey of the king led him to the centre of Somersetshire.
+Here, at the confluence of the Tone and the Parret, was a small island,
+afterwards known as Ethelingay, or Prince's Island. Around it spread a
+wide morass, little likely to be crossed by his pursuers. Here, still
+disguised, the fugitive king sought a refuge from his foes.
+
+For several months Alfred remained in this retreat, his place of refuge
+during part of the time being in the hut of a swineherd; and thereupon
+hangs a tale. Whether or not the worthy herdsman knew his king,
+certainly the weighty secret was not known to his wife. One day, while
+Alfred sat by the fire, his hands busy with his bow and arrows, his head
+mayhap busy with plans against the Danes, the good woman of the house
+was engaged in baking cakes on the hearth.
+
+Having to leave the hut for a few minutes, she turned to her guest, and
+curtly bade him watch the cakes, to see that they did not get overdone.
+
+"Trust me for that," he said.
+
+She left the room. The cakes smoked on the hearth, yet he saw them not.
+The goodwife returned in a brief space, to find her guest buried in a
+deep study, and her cakes burned to a cinder.
+
+"What!" she cried, with an outburst of termagant spleen, "I warrant you
+will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by, you idle dog! and yet you
+cannot watch them burning under your very eyes."
+
+What the king said in reply the tradition which has preserved this
+pleasant tale fails to relate. Doubtless it needed some of the
+swineherd's eloquence to induce his irate wife to bake a fresh supply
+for their careless guest.
+
+It had been Guthrum's main purpose, as we may be assured, in his rapid
+ride to Chippenham, to seize the king. In this he had failed; but the
+remainder of his project went successfully forward. Through Dorset,
+Berkshire, Wilts, and Hampshire rode his men, forcing the people
+everywhere to submit. The country was thinly settled, none knew the fate
+of the king, resistance would have been destruction, they bent before
+the storm, hoping by yielding to save their lives and some portion of
+their property from the barbarian foe. Those near the coast crossed with
+their families and movable effects to Gaul. Elsewhere submission was
+general, except in Somersetshire, where alone a body of faithful
+warriors, lurking in the woods, kept in arms against the invaders.
+
+Alfred's secret could not yet be safely revealed. Guthrum had not given
+over his search for him. Yet some of the more trusty of his subjects
+were told where he might be found, and a small band joined him in his
+morass-guarded isle. Gradually the news spread, and others sought the
+isle of Ethelingay, until a well-armed and sturdy band of followers
+surrounded the royal fugitive. This party must be fed. The island
+yielded little subsistence. The king was obliged to make foraging raids
+from his hiding-place. Now and then he met and defeated straggling
+parties of Danes, taking from them their spoils. At other times, when
+hard need pressed, he was forced to forage on his own subjects.
+
+Day by day the news went wider through Saxon homes, and more warriors
+sought their king. As the strength of his band increased, Alfred made
+more frequent and successful forays. The Danes began to find that
+resistance was not at an end. By Easter the king felt strong enough to
+take a more decided action. He had a wooden bridge thrown from the
+island to the shore, to facilitate the movements of his followers, while
+at its entrance was built a fort, to protect the island party against a
+Danish incursion.
+
+Such was the state of Alfred's fortunes and of England's hopes in the
+spring of 878. Three months before, all southern England, with the
+exception of Gloucester and its surrounding lands, had been his. Now his
+kingdom was a small island in the heart of a morass, his subjects a
+lurking band of faithful warriors, his subsistence what could be wrested
+from the strong hands of the foe.
+
+While matters went thus in Somerset, a storm of war gathered in Wales.
+Another of Ragnar's sons, Ubbo by name, had landed on the Welsh coast,
+and, carrying everything before him, was marching inland to join his
+victorious brother.
+
+He was too strong for the Saxons of that quarter to make head against
+him in the open field. Odun, the valiant ealderman who led them, fled,
+with his thanes and their followers, to the castle of Kwineth, a
+stronghold defended only by a loose wall of stones, in the Saxon
+fashion. But the fortress occupied the summit of a lofty rock, and bade
+defiance to assault. Ubbo saw this. He saw, also, that water must be
+wanting on that steep rock. He pitched his tents at its foot, and waited
+till thirst should compel a surrender of the garrison.
+
+He was to find that it is not always wise to cut off the supplies of a
+beleaguered foe. Despair aids courage. A day came in the siege in which
+Odun, grown desperate, left his defences before dawn, glided silently
+down the hill with his men, and fell so impetuously upon the Danish
+host that the chief and twelve hundred of his followers were slain, and
+the rest driven in panic to their ships. The camp, rich with the spoil
+of Wales, fell into the victors' hands, while their trophies included
+the great Raven standard of the Danes, said to have been woven in one
+noontide by Ragnar's three daughters. This was a loss that presaged
+defeat to the Danes, for they were superstitious concerning this
+standard. If the raven appeared to flap its wings when going into
+battle, victory seemed to them assured. If it hung motionless, defeat
+was feared. Its loss must have been deemed fatal.
+
+Tidings of this Saxon victory flew as if upon wings throughout England,
+and everywhere infused new spirit into the hearts of the people, new
+hope of recovering their country from the invading foe. To Alfred the
+news brought a heart-tide of joy. The time for action was at hand.
+Recruits came to him daily; fresh life was in his people; trusty
+messengers from Ethelingay sought the thanes throughout the land, and
+bade them, with their followers, to join the king at Egbert, on the
+eastern border of Selwood forest, in the seventh week after Easter.
+
+Guthrum, meanwhile, was not idle. The frequent raids in
+mid-Somersetshire had taught him where his royal enemy might be found.
+Action, immediate and decisive, was necessary, or Alfred would be again
+in the field with a Saxon army, and the fruits of the successful
+midwinter raid be lost. Messengers were sent in haste to call in the
+scattered Danish bands, and a fortified camp was formed in a strong
+place in the vicinity of Ethelingay, whence a concerted movement might
+be made upon the lurking foe.
+
+The time fixed for the gathering of the Saxon host was at hand. It was
+of high importance that the numbers and disposition of the Danes should
+be learned. The king, if we may trust tradition, now undertook an
+adventure that has ever since been classed among the choicest treasures
+of romance. The duty demanded was too important to trust to any doubtful
+hands. Alfred determined himself to venture within the camp of the
+Danes, observe how they were fortified and how arranged, and use this
+vital information when the time for battle came.
+
+The enterprise was less desperate than might seem. Alfred's form and
+face were little known to his enemies. He was a skilful harper. The
+glee-man in those days was a privileged person, allied to no party, free
+to wander where he would, and to twang his harp-strings in any camp. He
+might look for welcome from friend and foe.
+
+Dressed in Danish garb, and bearing the minstrel's harp, the daring king
+boldly sought and entered the camp of the invaders, his coming greeted
+with joy by the Danish warriors, who loved martial music as they loved
+war.
+
+Songs of Danish prowess fell from the disguised minstrel's lips, to the
+delight of his audience. In the end Guthrum and his chiefs heard report
+of the coming of this skilled glee-man, and ordered that he should be
+brought to the great tent, where they sat carousing, in hopeful
+anticipation of coming victory.
+
+Alfred, nothing loath, sought Guthrum's tent, where, with stirring songs
+of the old heroes of their land, he flattered the ears of the chiefs,
+who applauded him to the echo, and at times broke into wild refrains to
+his warlike odes. All that passed we cannot say. The story is told by
+tradition only, and tradition is not to be trusted for details.
+Doubtless, when the royal spy slipped from the camp of his foes he bore
+with him an accurate mind-picture of the numbers, the discipline, and
+the arrangement of the Danish force, which would be of the highest value
+in the coming fray.
+
+Meanwhile, the Saxon hosts were gathering. When the day fixed by the
+king arrived they were there: men from Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devonshire,
+and Somerset; men in smaller numbers from other counties; all glad to
+learn that England was on its feet again, all filled with joy to see
+their king in the field. Their shouts filled the leafy alleys of the
+forest, they hailed the king as the land's avenger, every heart beat
+high with assurance of victory. Before night of the day of meeting the
+woodland camp was overcrowded with armed men, and at dawn of the next
+day Alfred led them to a place named Icglea, where, on the forest's
+edge, a broad plain spread with a morass on its front. All day long
+volunteers came to the camp; by night Alfred had an army in open field,
+in place of the guerilla band with which, two days before, he had
+lurked in the green aisles of Selwood forest, like a Robin Hood of an
+earlier day, making the verdant depths of the greenwood dales his home.
+
+At dawn of the next day the king marshalled his men in battle array, and
+occupied the summit of Ethandune, a lofty eminence in the vicinity of
+his camp. The Danes, fiery with barbaric valor, boldly advanced, and the
+two armies met in fierce affray, shouting their war-cries, discharging
+arrows and hurling javelins, and rushing like wolves of war to the
+closer and more deadly hand-to-hand combat of sword and axe, of the
+shock of the contending forces, the hopes and fears of victory and
+defeat, the deeds of desperate valor, the mighty achievements of noted
+chiefs, on that hard-fought field no Homer has sung, and they must
+remain untold. All we know is that the Danes fought with desperate
+valor, the English with a courage inspired by revenge, fear of slavery,
+thirst for liberty, and the undaunted resolution of men whose every blow
+was struck for home and fireside.
+
+In the end patriotism prevailed over the baser instinct of piracy; the
+Danes were defeated, and driven in tumultuous hosts to their intrenched
+camp, falling in multitudes as they fled, for the incensed English laid
+aside all thought of mercy in the hot fury of pursuit.
+
+Only when within the shelter of his works was Guthrum able to make head
+against his victorious foe. The camp seemed too strong to be taken by
+assault, nor did Alfred care to immolate his men while a safer and surer
+expedient remained. He had made himself fully familiar with its
+formation, knew well its weak and strong points and its sparseness of
+supplies, and without loss of time spread his forces round it, besieging
+it so closely that not a Dane could escape. For fourteen days the siege
+went on, Alfred's army, no doubt, daily increasing, that of his foe
+wasting away before the ceaseless flight of arrows and javelins.
+
+Guthrum was in despair. Famine threatened him. Escape was impossible.
+Hardly a bird could have fled unseen through the English lines. At the
+end of the fortnight he yielded, and asked for terms of surrender. The
+war was at an end. England was saved.
+
+In his moment of victory Alfred proved generous. He gave the Danes an
+abiding-place upon English soil, on condition that they should dwell
+there as his vassals. To this they were to bind themselves by oath and
+the giving of hostages. Another condition was that Guthrum and his
+leading chiefs should give up their pagan faith and embrace
+Christianity.
+
+To these terms the Danish leader acceded. A few weeks after the fight
+Aubre, near Athelney, was the scene of the baptizing of Guthrum and
+thirty of his chiefs. To his heathen title was added the Saxon name of
+Athelstan, Alfred standing sponsor to the new convert to the Christian
+faith. Eight days afterwards Guthrum laid off the white robe and
+chrysmal fillet of his new faith, and in twelve days bade adieu to his
+victorious foe, now, to all seeming, his dearest friend. What sum of
+Christian faith the baptized heathen took with him to the new lands
+assigned him it would be rash to say, but at all events he was removed
+from the circle of England's foes.
+
+The treaty of Wedmore freed southern England from the Danes. The shores
+of Wessex were teased now and then by after-descents, but these
+incursions were swept away like those of stinging hornets. In 894 a
+fleet of three hundred ships invaded the realm, but they met a crushing
+defeat. The king was given some leisure to pursue those studies to which
+his mind so strongly inclined, and to carry forward measures for the
+education of his people by the establishment of schools which, like
+those of Charlemagne in France, vanished before he was fairly in the
+grave. This noble knight died in 901, nearly a thousand years ago, after
+having proved himself one of the ablest warriors and most advanced minds
+that ever occupied the English throne.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOOING OF ELFRIDA._
+
+
+Of all the many fair maidens of the Saxon realm none bore such fame for
+beauty as the charming Elfrida, daughter of the earl of Devonshire, and
+the rose of southern England. She had been educated in the country and
+had never been seen in London, but the report of her charms of face and
+person spread so widely that all the land became filled with the tale.
+
+It soon reached the court and came to the ears of Edgar, the king, a
+youthful monarch who had an open ear for all tales of maidenly beauty.
+He was yet but little more than a boy, was unmarried, and a born lover.
+The praises of this country charmer, therefore, stirred his susceptible
+heart. She was nobly born, the heiress to an earldom, the very rose of
+English maidens,--what better consort for the throne could be found? If
+report spoke true, this was the maiden he should choose for wife, this
+fairest flower of the Saxon realm. But rumor grows apace, and common
+report is not to be trusted. Edgar thought it the part of discretion to
+make sure of the beauty of the much-lauded Elfrida before making a
+formal demand for her hand in marriage.
+
+Devonshire was far away, roads few and poor in Saxon England, travel
+slow and wearisome, and the king had no taste for the journey to the
+castle of Olgar of Devon. Nor did he deem it wise to declare his
+intention till he made sure that the maiden was to his liking. He,
+therefore, spoke of his purpose to Earl Athelwold, his favorite, whom he
+bade to pay a visit, on some pretence, to Earl Olgar of Devonshire, to
+see his renowned daughter, and to bring to the court a certain account
+concerning her beauty.
+
+Athelwold went to Devonshire, saw the lady, and proved faithless to his
+trust. Love made him a traitor, as it has made many before and since his
+day. So marvellously beautiful he found Elfrida that his heart fell
+prisoner to the most vehement love, a passion so ardent that it drove
+all thoughts of honor and fidelity from his soul, and he determined to
+have this charming lass of Devonshire for his own, despite king or
+commons.
+
+Athelwold's high station had secured him a warm welcome from his brother
+earl. He acquitted himself of his pretended mission to Olgar, basked as
+long as prudence permitted in the sunlight of his lady's eyes, and,
+almost despite himself, made manifest to Elfrida the sudden passion that
+had filled his soul. The maiden took it not amiss. Athelwold was young,
+handsome, rich, and high in station, Elfrida susceptible and ambitious,
+and he returned to London not without hope that he had favorably
+impressed the lady's heart, and filled with the faithless purpose of
+deceiving the king.
+
+"You have seen and noted her, Athelwold," said Edgar, on giving him
+audience; "what have you to say? Has report spoken truly? Is she indeed
+the marvellous beauty that rumor tells, or has fame, the liar, played us
+one of his old tricks?"
+
+"Not altogether; the woman is not bad-looking," said Athelwold, with
+studied lack of enthusiasm; "but I fear that high station and a pretty
+face have combined to bewitch the people. Certainly, if she had been of
+low birth, her charms would never have been heard of outside her native
+village."
+
+"I' faith, Athelwold, you are not warm in your praise of this queen of
+beauty," said Edgar, with some disappointment. "Rumor, then, has lied,
+and she is but an every-day woman, after all?"
+
+"Beauty has a double origin," answered Athelwold; "it lies partly in the
+face seen, partly in the eyes seeing. Some might go mad over this
+Elfrida, but to my taste London affords fairer faces. I speak but for
+myself. Should you see her you might think differently."
+
+Athelwold had managed his story shrewdly; the king's ardor grew cold.
+
+"If the matter stands thus, he that wants her may have her," said Edgar.
+"The diamond that fails to show its lustre in all candles is not the gem
+for my wearing. Confess, Athelwold, you are trying to overpaint this
+woman; you found only an ordinary face."
+
+"I saw nothing in it extraordinary," answered the faithless envoy. "Some
+might, perhaps. I can only speak for myself. As I take it, Elfrida's
+noble birth and her father's wealth, which will come to her as sole
+heiress, have had their share in painting this rose. The woman may have
+beauty enough for a countess; hardly enough for a queen."
+
+"Then you should have wooed and won her yourself," said Edgar, laughing.
+"Such a faintly-praised charmer is not for me. I leave her for a
+lower-born lover."
+
+Several days passed. Athelwold had succeeded in his purpose; the king
+had evidently been cured of his fancy for Elfrida. The way was open for
+the next step in his deftly-laid scheme. He took it by turning the
+conversation, in a later interview, upon the Devon maiden.
+
+"I have been thinking over your remark, that I should woo and win
+Elfrida myself," he said. "It seems to me not a bad idea. I must confess
+that the birth and fortune of the lady added no beauty to her in my
+eyes, as it seems to have done in those of others; yet I cannot but
+think that the woman would make a suitable match for me. She is an
+earl's daughter, and she will inherit great wealth; these are advantages
+which fairly compensate some lack of beauty. I have decided, therefore,
+sire, if I can gain your approbation, to ask Olgar for his daughter's
+hand. I fancy I can gain her consent if I have his."
+
+"I shall certainly not stand in your way," said the king, pleased with
+the opportunity to advance his favorite's fortunes. "By all means do as
+you propose. I will give you letters to the earl and his lady,
+recommending the match. You must trust to yourself to make your way with
+the maiden."
+
+"I think she is not quite displeased with me," answered Athelwold.
+
+What followed few words may tell. The passion of love in Athelwold's
+heart had driven out all considerations of honor and duty, of the good
+faith he owed the king, and of the danger of his false and treacherous
+course. Warm with hope, he returned with a lover's haste to Devonshire,
+where he gained the approval of the earl and countess, won the hand and
+seemingly the heart of their beautiful daughter, and was speedily united
+to the lady of his love, and became for the time being the happiest man
+in England.
+
+But before the honey-moon was well over, the faithless friend and
+subject realized that he had a difficult and dangerous part to play. He
+did not dare let Edgar see his wife, for fear of the instant detection
+of his artifice, and he employed every pretence to keep her in the
+country. His duties at the court brought him frequently to London, but
+with the skill at excuses he had formerly shown he contrived to satisfy
+for the time the queries of the king and the importunities of his wife,
+who had a natural desire to visit the capital and to shine at the king's
+court.
+
+Athelwold was sailing between Scylla and Charybdis. He could scarcely
+escape being wrecked on the rocks of his own falsehood. The enemies who
+always surround a royal favorite were not long in surmising the truth,
+and lost no time in acquainting Edgar with their suspicions.
+Confirmation was not wanting. There were those in London who had seen
+Elfrida. The king's eyes were opened to the treacherous artifice of
+which he had been made the victim.
+
+Edgar was deeply incensed, but artfully concealed his anger. Reflection,
+too, told him that these men were Athelwold's enemies, and that the man
+he had loved and trusted ought not to be condemned on the insinuations
+of his foes. He would satisfy himself if his favorite had played the
+traitor, and if so would visit him with the punishment he deserved.
+
+"Athelwold," said Edgar, in easy tones, "I am surprised you do not bring
+your wife to court. Surely the woman, if she is true woman, must crave
+to come."
+
+"Not she," answered Athelwold. "She loves the country well and is a
+pattern of the rural virtues. The woman is homely and home-loving, and I
+should be sorry to put new ideas in her rustic pate. Moreover, I fear my
+little candle would shine too poorly among your courtly stars to offer
+her in contrast."
+
+"Fie on you, man! the wife of Athelwold cannot be quite a milkmaid. If
+you will not bring her here, then I must pay you a visit in your castle;
+I like you too well not to know and like your wife."
+
+This proposition of the king filled Athelwold with terror and dismay. He
+grew pale, and hesitatingly sought to dissuade Edgar from his project,
+but in vain. The king had made up his mind, and laughingly told him
+that he could not rest till he had seen the homely housewife whom
+Athelwold was afraid to trust in court.
+
+"I feel the honor you would do me," at length remarked the dismayed
+favorite. "I only ask, sire, that you let me go before you a few hours,
+that my castle may be properly prepared for a visit from my king."
+
+"As you will, gossip," laughed the king. "Away with you, then; I will
+soon follow."
+
+In all haste the traitor sought his castle, quaking with fear, and
+revolving in his mind schemes for avoiding the threatened disclosure. He
+could think of but one that promised success, and that depended on the
+love and compliance of Elfrida. He had deceived her. He must tell her
+the truth. With her aid his faithless action might still be concealed.
+
+Entering his castle, he sought Elfrida and revealed to her the whole
+measure of his deceit, how he had won her from the king, led by his
+overpowering love, how he had kept her from the king's eyes, and how
+Edgar now, filled, he feared, with suspicion, was on his way to the
+castle to see her for himself.
+
+In moving accents the wretched man appealed to her, if she had any
+regard for his honor and his life, to conceal from the king that fatal
+beauty which had lured him from his duty to his friend and monarch, and
+led him into endless falsehoods. He had but his love to offer as a
+warrant for his double faithlessness, and implored Elfrida, as she
+returned his affection, to lend her aid to his exculpation. If she loved
+him as she seemed, she would put on her homliest attire, employ the
+devices of the toilette to hide her fatal beauty, and assume an awkward
+and rustic tone and manner, that the king might be deceived.
+
+Elfrida heard him in silence, her face scarcely concealing the
+indignation which burned in her soul on learning the artifice by which
+she had been robbed of a crown. In the end, however, she seemed moved by
+his entreaties and softened by his love, and promised to comply with his
+wishes and do her utmost to conceal her charms.
+
+Gratified with this compliance, and full of hope that all would yet be
+safe, Athelwold completed his preparations for the reception of the
+king, and met him on his appearance with every show of honor and
+respect. Edgar seemed pleased by his reception, entered the castle, but
+was not long there before he asked to see its lady, saying merrily that
+she had been the loadstone that had drawn him thither, and that he was
+eager to behold her charming face.
+
+"I fear I have little of beauty and grace to show you," answered
+Athelwold; "but she is a good wife withal, and I love her for virtues
+which few would call courtly."
+
+He turned to a servant and bade him ask his mistress to come to the
+castle hall, where the king expected her.
+
+Athelwold waited with hopeful eyes; the king with curious expectation.
+The husband knew how unattractive a toilet his wife could make if she
+would; Edgar was impatient to test for himself the various reports he
+had received concerning this wild rose of Devonshire.
+
+The lady entered. The hope died from Athelwold's eyes; the pallor of
+death overspread his face. A sudden light flashed into the face of the
+king, a glow made up of passion and anger. For instead of the
+ill-dressed and awkward country housewife for whom Athelwold looked,
+there beamed upon all present a woman of regal beauty, clad in her
+richest attire, her charms of face and person set off with all the
+adornment that jewels and laces could bestow, her face blooming into its
+most engaging smile as she greeted the king.
+
+She had deceived her trusting husband. His story of treachery had driven
+from her heart all the love for him that ever dwelt there. He had robbed
+her of a throne; she vowed revenge in her soul; it might be hers yet;
+with the burning instinct of ambition she had adorned herself to the
+utmost, hoping to punish her faithless lord and win the king.
+
+She succeeded. While Athelwold stood by, biting his lips, striving to
+bring back the truant blood to his face, making hesitating remarks to
+his guest, and turning eyes of deadly anger on his wife, the scheming
+woman was using her most engaging arts of conversation and manner to win
+the king, and with a success greater than she knew. Edgar beheld her
+beauty with surprise and joy, his heart throbbing with ardent passion.
+She was all and more than he had been told. Athelwold had basely
+deceived him, and his new-born love for the wife was mingled with a
+fierce desire for revenge upon the husband. But the artful monarch
+dissembled both these passions. He was, to a certain extent, in
+Athelwold's power. His train was not large, and those were days in which
+an angry or jealous thane would not hesitate to lift his hand against a
+king. He, therefore, affected not to be struck with Elfrida's beauty,
+was gracious as usual to his host, and seemed the most agreeable of
+guests.
+
+But passion was burning in his heart, the double passion of love and
+revenge. A day or two of this play of kingly clemency passed, then
+Athelwold and his guests went to hunt in the neighboring forest, and in
+the heat of the chase Edgar gained the opportunity he desired. He
+stabbed his unsuspecting host in the back, left him dead on the field,
+and rode back to the castle to declare his love to the suddenly-widowed
+wife.
+
+Elfrida had won the game for which she had so heartlessly played.
+Ambition in her soul outweighed such love as she bore for Athelwold, and
+she received with gracious welcome the king whose hands were still red
+from the murder of her late spouse. No long time passed before Edgar and
+Elfrida were publicly married, and the love romance which had
+distinguished the life of the famed beauty of Devonshire reached its
+consummation.
+
+This romantic story has a sequel which tells still less favorably for
+the Devonshire beauty. She had compassed the murder of her husband. It
+was not her last crime. Edgar died when her son Ethelred was but seven
+years of age. The king had left another son, Edward, by his first wife,
+now fifteen years old. The ambitious woman plotted for the elevation of
+her son to the throne, hoping, doubtless, herself to reign as regent.
+The people favored Edward, as the rightful heir, and the nobility and
+clergy, who feared the imperious temper of Elfrida, determined to thwart
+her schemes. To put an end to the matter, Dunstan the monk, the
+all-powerful king-maker of that epoch, had the young prince anointed and
+crowned. The whole kingdom supported his act, and the hopes of Elfrida
+were seemingly at an end.
+
+But she was a woman not to be easily defeated. She bided her time, and
+affected warm regard for the youthful king, who loved her as if he had
+been her own son, and displayed the most tender affection for his
+brother. Edward, indeed, was a character out of tone with those rude
+tenth-century days, when might was right, and murder was often the first
+step to a throne. He was of the utmost innocence of heart and amiability
+of manners, so pure in his own thoughts that suspicion of others found
+no place in his soul.
+
+One day, four years after his accession, he was hunting in a forest in
+Dorsetshire, not far from Corfe-castle, where Elfrida and Ethelred
+lived. The chances of the chase led him to the vicinity of the castle,
+and, taking advantage of the opportunity to see its loved inmates, he
+rode away from his attendants, and in the evening twilight sounded his
+hunting-horn at the castle gates.
+
+This was the opportunity which the ambitious woman had desired. The
+rival of her son had put himself unattended within her reach. Hastily
+preparing for the reception she designed to give him, she came from the
+castle, smiling a greeting.
+
+"You are heartily welcome, dear king and son," she said. "Pray dismount
+and enter."
+
+"Not so, dear madam," he replied. "My company will miss me, and fear I
+have met with some harm. I pray you give me a cup of wine, that I may
+drink in the saddle to you and my little brother. I would stay longer,
+but may not linger."
+
+Elfrida returned for the wine, and as she did so whispered a few words
+to an armed man in the castle hall, one of her attendants whom she could
+trust. As she went on, this man slipped out in the gathering gloom and
+placed himself close behind the king's horse.
+
+In a minute more Elfrida reappeared, wine-cup in hand. The king took the
+cup and raised it to his lips, looking down with smiling face on his
+step-mother and her son, who smiled their love-greeting back to him. At
+this instant the lurking villain in the rear sprang up and buried his
+fatal knife in the king's back.
+
+Filled with pain and horror, Edward involuntarily dropped the cup and
+spurred his horse. The startled animal sprang forward, Edward clinging
+to his saddle for a few minutes, but soon, faint with loss of blood,
+falling to the earth, while one of his feet remained fast in the
+stirrup.
+
+The frightened horse rushed onward, dragging him over the rough ground
+until death put an end to his misery. The hunters, seeking the king,
+found the track of his blood, and traced him till his body was
+discovered, sadly torn and disfigured.
+
+Meanwhile, the child Ethelred cried out so pitifully at the frightful
+tragedy which had taken place before his eyes, that his heartless mother
+turned her rage against him. She snatched a torch from one of the
+attendants and beat him unmercifully for his uncontrollable emotion.
+
+The woman a second time had won her game,--first, by compassing the
+murder of her husband; second, by ordering the murder of her step-son.
+It is pleasant to say that she profited little by the latter base deed.
+The people were incensed by the murder of the king, and Dunstan resolved
+that Ethelred should not have the throne. He offered it to Edgitha, the
+daughter of Edgar. But that lady wisely preferred to remain in the
+convent where she lived in peace: so, in default of any other heir,
+Ethelred was put upon the throne,--Ethelred the Unready, as he came
+afterwards to be known.
+
+Elfrida at first possessed great influence over her son; but her power
+declined as he grew older, and in the end she retired from the court,
+built monasteries and performed penances, in hopes of providing a refuge
+for her pious soul in heaven, since all men hated her upon the earth.
+
+As regards Edward, his tragical death so aroused the sympathy of the
+people that they named him the Martyr, and believed that miracles were
+wrought at his tomb. It cannot be said that his murder was in any sense
+a martyrdom, but the men of that day did not draw fine lines of
+distinction, and Edward the Martyr he remains.
+
+
+
+
+_THE END OF SAXON ENGLAND._
+
+
+We have two pictures to draw, preliminary scenes to the fatal battle of
+Hastings Hill. The first belongs to the morning of September 25, 1066.
+At Stamford Bridge, on the Derwent River, lay encamped a stalwart host,
+that of Harold Hardrada, king of Norway. With him was Tostig, rebel
+brother of King Harold of England, who had brought this army of
+strangers into the land. On the river near by lay their ships.
+
+Here Harold found them, a formidable force, drawn up in a circle, the
+line marked out by shining spears. The English king had marched hither
+in all haste from the coast, where he had been awaiting the coming of
+William of Normandy. Tostig, the rebel son of Godwin, had brought ruin
+upon the land.
+
+Before the battle commenced, twenty horsemen rode out from Harold's
+vanguard and moved towards the foe. Harold, the king, rode at their
+head. As they drew near they saw a leader of the opposing host, clad in
+a blue mantle and wearing a shining helmet, fall to the earth through
+the stumbling of his horse.
+
+"Who is the man that fell?" asked Harold.
+
+"The king of Norway," answered one of his companions.
+
+"He is a tall and stately warrior," answered Harold, "but his end is
+near."
+
+Then, under command of the king, one of his noble followers rode up to
+the opposing line and called out,--
+
+"Is Tostig, the son of Godwin, here?"
+
+"It would be wrong to say he is not," answered the rebel Englishman,
+stepping into view.
+
+The herald then begged him to make peace with his brother, saying that
+it was dreadful that two men, sons of the same mother, should be in arms
+against each other.
+
+"What will Harold give me if I make peace with him?" asked Tostig.
+
+"He will give you a brother's love and make you earl of Northumberland."
+
+"And what will he give to my friend, the king of Norway?"
+
+"Seven feet of earth for a grave," was the grim answer of the envoy;
+"or, as he seems a very tall man, perhaps a foot or two more."
+
+"Ride back, then," said Tostig, "and bid Harold make ready for battle.
+Whatever happens, it shall never be said of Tostig that he basely gave
+up the friend who had helped him in time of need."
+
+The fight began,--and quickly ended. Hardrada fought like a giant, but
+an arrow in his throat brought him dead to the ground. Tostig fell also,
+and many other chiefs. The Northmen, disheartened, yielded. Harold gave
+them easy terms, bidding them take their ships and sail again to the
+land whence they had come.
+
+This warlike picture on the land may be matched by one upon the sea.
+Over the waves of the English Channel moved a single ship, such a one as
+had rarely been seen upon those waters. Its sails were of different
+bright colors; the vanes at the mast-heads were gilded; the three lions
+of Normandy were painted here and there; the figure-head was a child
+with a bent bow, its arrow pointed towards the land of England. At the
+mainmast-head floated a consecrated banner, which had been sent from
+Rome.
+
+It was the ship of William of Normandy, alone upon the waves. Three
+thousand vessels in all had left with it the shores of France, six or
+seven hundred of them large in size. Now, day was breaking, and the
+king's ship was alone. The others had vanished in the night.
+
+William ordered a sailor to the mast-head to report on what he could
+see.
+
+"I see nothing but the water and the sky," came the lookout's cry from
+above.
+
+"We have outsailed them; we must lay to," said the duke.
+
+Breakfast was served, with warm spiced wine, to keep the crew in good
+heart. After it was over the sailor was again sent aloft.
+
+"I can see four ships, low down in the offing," he proclaimed.
+
+A third time he was sent to the mast-head. His voice now came to those
+on deck filled with merry cheer.
+
+"Now I see a forest of masts and sails," he cried.
+
+Within a few hours afterwards the Normans were landing in Pevensey Bay,
+on the Sussex coast. Harold had been drawn off by the invasion in the
+north, and the new invaders were free to land. Duke William was among
+the first. As he set foot on shore he stumbled and fell. The hearts of
+his knights fell with him, for they deemed this an unlucky sign. But
+William had that ready wit which turns ill into good fortune. Grasping
+two handfuls of the soil, he hastily rose, saying, cheerily, "Thus do I
+seize upon the land of England."
+
+Meanwhile, Harold was feasting, after his victory, at York. As he sat
+there with his captains, a stir was heard at the doors, and in rushed a
+messenger, booted and spurred, and covered with dust from riding fast
+and far.
+
+"The Normans have come!" was his cry. "They have landed at Pevensey Bay.
+They are out already, harrying the land. Smoke and fire are the beacons
+of their march."
+
+That feast came to a sudden end. Soon Harold and his men were in full
+march for London. Here recruits were gathered in all haste. Within a
+week the English king was marching towards where the Normans lay
+encamped. He was counselled to remain and gather more men, leaving some
+one else to lead his army.
+
+"Not so," he replied; "an English king must never turn his back to the
+enemy."
+
+We have now a third picture to draw, and a great one,--that of the
+mighty and momentous conflict which ended in the death of the last of
+the Saxon kings, and the Norman conquest of England.
+
+The force of William greatly outnumbered that of Harold. It comprised
+about sixty thousand men, while Harold had but twenty or thirty
+thousand. And the Normans were more powerfully armed, the English having
+few archers, while many of them were hasty recruits who bore only
+pitchforks and other tools of their daily toil. The English king,
+therefore, did not dare to meet the heavily-armed and mail-clad Normans
+in the open field. Wisely he led his men to the hill of Senlac, near
+Hastings, a spot now occupied by the small town of Battle, so named in
+memory of the great fight. Here he built intrenchments of earth, stones,
+and tree-trunks, behind which he waited the Norman assault. Marshy
+ground covered the English right. In front, at the most exposed
+position, stood the "huscarls," or body-guard, of Harold, men clad in
+mail and armed with great battle-axes, their habit being to interlock
+their shields like a wall. In their midst stood the standard of
+Harold,--with the figure of a warrior worked in gold and gems,--and
+beside it the Golden Dragon of Wessex, a banner of ancient fame. Back of
+them were crowded the half-armed rustics who made up the remainder of
+the army.
+
+Duke William had sought, by ravaging the land, to bring Harold to an
+engagement. He had until now subsisted by plunder. He was now obliged to
+concentrate his forces. A concentrated army cannot feed by pillage.
+There was but one thing for the Norman leader to do. He must attack the
+foe in his strong position, with victory or ruin as his only
+alternatives.
+
+The night before the battle was differently passed by the two armies.
+The Normans spent the hours in prayer and confession to their priests.
+Bishop Odo celebrated mass on the field as day dawned, his white
+episcopal vestment covering a coat of mail, while war-horse and
+battle-axe awaited him when the benediction should be spoken. The
+English, on their side, sat round their watch-fires, drinking great
+horns of ale, and singing warlike lays, as their custom for centuries
+had been.
+
+Day had not dawned on that memorable 14th of October, of the year 1066,
+when both sides were in arms and busily preparing for battle. William
+and Harold alike harangued their men and bade them do their utmost for
+victory. Ruin awaited the one side, slavery the other, if defeat fell
+upon their banners.
+
+William rode a fine Spanish horse, which a Norman had brought from
+Galicia, whither he had gone on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Iago.
+The consecrated standard was borne by his side by one Tonstain, "the
+White," two barons having declined the dangerous honor. Behind him rode
+the pride of the Norman nobility.
+
+On the hill-side before them stood Harold and his stout body-guard,
+trenches and earthworks in their front, their shields locked into a wall
+of iron. In the first line stood the men of Kent, this being their
+ancient privilege. Behind them were ranged the burgesses of London, the
+royal standard in their midst. Beside the standard stood Harold himself,
+his brothers Gurth and Leofwin by his side, and around them a group of
+England's noblest thanes and warriors.
+
+On came the Norman column. Steadily awaited them the English phalanx.
+"Dieu aide!" or "God is our help!" shouted the assailing knights.
+"Christ's rood! the holy rood!" roared back the English warriors. Nearer
+they came, till they looked in each other's eyes, and the battle was
+ready to begin.
+
+And now, from the van of the Norman host, rode a man of renown, the
+minstrel Taillefer. A gigantic man he was, singer, juggler, and champion
+combined. As he rode fearlessly forward he chanted in a loud voice the
+ancient "Song of Roland," flinging his sword in the air with one hand as
+he sang, and catching it as it fell with the other. As he sang, the
+Normans took up the refrain of his song, or shouted their battle cry of
+"Dieu aide."
+
+Onward he rode, thrusting his blade through the body of the first
+Englishman he met. The second he encountered was flung wounded to the
+ground. With the third the "Song of Roland" ended; the giant minstrel
+was hurled from his horse pierced with a mortal wound. He had sung his
+last song. He crossed himself and was at rest.
+
+On came the Normans, the band of knights led by William assailing
+Harold's centre, the mercenary host of French and Bretons attacking his
+flanks. The Norman foot led the van, seeking to force a passage across
+the English stockade. "Out, out!" fiercely shouted the men of Kent, as
+they plied axe and javelin with busy hands. The footmen were driven
+back. The Norman horse in turn were repulsed. Again and again the duke
+rallied and led his knights to the fatal stockade; again and again he
+and his men were driven back. The blood of the Norseman in his veins
+burned with all the old Viking battle-thirst. The headlong valor which
+he had often shown on Norman plains now impelled him relentlessly
+forward. Yet his coolness and readiness never forsook him. The course of
+the battle ever lay before his eyes, its reins in his grasp. At one time
+during the combat the choicest of the Norman cavalry were driven upon a
+deep trench which the English had dug and artfully concealed. In they
+went in numbers, men and horses falling and perishing. Disaster
+threatened Duke William's army. The Bretons, checked by the marshes on
+the right broke in disorder. Panic threatened to spread through the
+whole array, and a wild cry arose that the duke was slain. Men in
+numbers turned their backs upon the foe; a headlong flight was begun.
+
+At this almost fatal moment Duke William's power as a leader revealed
+itself. His horse had been killed, but no harm had come to him.
+Springing to the back of a fresh steed, he spurred before the fugitives,
+and bade them halt, threatened them, struck them with his spear. When
+the cry was repeated that the duke was dead, he tore off his helmet and
+showed his face to the flying host. "Here I am!" he cried, in a
+stentorian voice. "Look at me! I live, and by God's help will conquer
+yet!"
+
+Their leader's voice gave new courage to the Norman host, the flight
+ceased; they rallied, and, following the headlong charge of the duke,
+attacked the English with renewed fierceness and vigor. William fought
+like an aroused lion. Horse after horse was killed under him, but he
+still appeared at the head of his men, shouting his terrible war-cry,
+striking down a foeman with every swing of his mighty iron club.
+
+He broke through the stockade; he spurred furiously on those who guarded
+the king's standard; down went Gurth, the king's brother, before a blow
+of that terrible mace; down went Leofwin, a second brother of the king;
+William's horse fell dead under him, a rider refused to lend him his
+horse, but a blow from that strong mailed hand emptied the saddle, and
+William was again horsed and using his mighty weapon with deadly effect.
+
+Yet despite all his efforts the English line of defence remained
+unbroken. That linked wall of shields stood intact. From behind it the
+terrible battle-axes of Harold's men swung like flails, making crimson
+gaps in the crowded ranks before them. Hours had passed in this
+conflict. It began with day-dawn; the day was waning, yet still the
+English held their own; the fate of England hung in the scale; it began
+to look as if Harold would win.
+
+But Duke William was a man of resources. That wall of shields must be
+rent asunder, or the battle was lost. If it could not be broken by
+assault, it might by retreat. He bade the men around him to feign a
+disorderly flight. The trick succeeded; many of the English leaped the
+stockade and pursued their flying foes. The crafty duke waited until the
+eager pursuers were scattered confusedly down the hill. Then, heading a
+body of horse which he had kept in reserve, he rushed upon the
+disordered mass, cutting them down in multitudes, strewing the hill-side
+with English slain.
+
+Through the abandoned works the duke led his knights, and gained the
+central plateau. On the flanks the French and Bretons poured over the
+stockade and drove back its poorly-armed defenders. It was
+mid-afternoon, and the field already seemed won. Yet when the sunset
+hour came on that red October day the battle still raged. Harold had
+lost his works of defence, yet his huscarls stood stubbornly around him,
+and with unyielding obstinacy fought for their standard and their king.
+The spot on which they made their last fight was that marked afterwards
+by the high altar of Battle Abbey.
+
+The sun was sinking. The battle was not yet decided. For nine hours it
+had raged. Dead bodies by thousands clogged the field. The living fought
+from a platform of the dead. At length, as the sun was nearing the
+horizon, Duke William brought up his archers and bade them pour their
+arrows upon the dense masses crowded around the standard of the English
+king. He ordered them to shoot into the air, that the descending shafts
+might fall upon the faces of the foe.
+
+Victory followed the flight of those plumed shafts. As the sun went down
+one of them pierced Harold's right eye. When they saw him fall the
+Normans rushed like a torrent forward, and a desperate conflict ensued
+over the fallen king. The Saxon standard still waved over the serried
+English ranks. Robert Fitz Ernest, a Norman knight, fought his way to
+the staff. His outstretched hand had nearly grasped it when an English
+battle-axe laid him low. Twenty knights, grouped in mass, followed him
+through the English phalanx. Down they went till ten of them lay
+stretched in death. The other ten reached the spot, tore down the
+English flag, and in a few minutes more the consecrated banner of
+Normandy was flying in its stead.
+
+The conflict was at an end. As darkness came the surviving English fled
+into the woods in their rear. The Normans remained masters of the field.
+Harold, the king, was dead, and all his brothers had fallen; Duke
+William was England's lord. On the very spot where Harold had fallen the
+conqueror pitched his tent, and as darkness settled over vanquished
+England he "sate down to eat and drink among the dead."
+
+No braver fight had ever been made than that which Harold made for
+England. The loss of the Normans had been enormous. On the day after the
+battle the survivors of William's army were drawn up in line, and the
+muster-roll called. To a fourth of the names no answer was returned.
+Among the dead were many of the noblest lords and bravest knights of
+Normandy. Yet there were hungry nobles enough left to absorb all the
+fairest domains of Saxon England, and they crowded eagerly around the
+duke, pressing on him their claims. A new roll was prepared, containing
+the names of the noblemen and gentlemen who had survived the bloody
+fight. This was afterwards deposited in Battle Abbey, which William had
+built upon the hill where Harold made his gallant stand.
+
+The body of the slain king was not easily to be found. Harold's aged
+mother, who had lost three brave sons in the battle, offered Duke
+William its weight in gold for the body of the king. Two monks sought
+for it, but in vain. The Norman soldiers had despoiled the dead, and the
+body of a king could not be told among that heap of naked corpses. In
+the end the monks sent for Editha, a beautiful maiden to whom Harold had
+been warmly attached, and begged her to search for her slain lover.
+
+Editha, the "swan-necked," as some chroniclers term her, groped, with
+eyes half-blinded with tears, through that heap of mutilated dead, her
+soul filled with horror, yet seeking on and on until at length her
+love-true eyes saw and knew the face of the king. Harold's body was
+taken to Waltham Abbey, on the river Lea, a place he had loved when
+alive. Here he was interred, his tomb bearing the simple inscription,
+placed there by the monks of Waltham, "Here lies the unfortunate
+Harold!"
+
+
+
+
+_HEREWARD THE WAKE._
+
+
+Through the mist of the far past of English history there looms up
+before our vision a notable figure, that of Hereward the Wake, the "last
+of the Saxons," as he has been appropriately called, a hero of romance
+perhaps more than of history, but in some respects the noblest warrior
+who fought for Saxon England against the Normans. His story is a fabric
+in which threads of fact and fancy seem equally interwoven; of much of
+his life, indeed, we are ignorant, and tradition has surrounded this
+part of his biography with tales of largely imaginary deeds; but he is a
+character of history as well as of folk lore, and his true story is full
+of the richest elements of romance. It is this noteworthy hero of old
+England with whom we have now to deal.
+
+No one can be sure where Hereward was born, though most probably the
+county of Lincolnshire may claim the honor. We are told that he was heir
+to the lordship of Bourne, in that county. Tradition--for we have not
+yet reached the borders of fact--says that he was a wild and unruly
+youth, disrespectful to the clergy, disobedient to his parents, and so
+generally unmanageable that in the end his father banished him from his
+home.
+
+Little was the truculent lad troubled by this. He had in him the spirit
+of a wanderer and outlaw, but was one fitted to make his mark wherever
+his feet should fall. In Scotland, while still a boy, he killed,
+single-handed, a great bear,--a feat highly considered in those days
+when all battles with man and beast were hand to hand. Next we hear of
+him in Cornwall, one of whose race of giants Hereward found reserved for
+his prowess. This was a fellow of mighty limb and boastful tongue, vast
+in strength and terrible in war, as his own tale ran. Hereward fought
+him, and the giant ceased to boast. Cornwall had a giant the less. Next
+he sought Ireland, and did yeoman service in the wars of that unquiet
+island. Taking ship thence, he made his way to Flanders, where legend
+credits him with wonderful deeds. Battle and bread were the nutriment of
+his existence, the one as necessary to him as the other, and a journey
+of a few hundreds of miles, with the hope of a hard fight at the end,
+was to him but a holiday.
+
+Such is the Hereward to whom tradition introduces us, an idol of popular
+song and story, and doubtless a warrior of unwonted courage and skill,
+agile and strong, ready for every toil and danger, and so keenly alert
+and watchful that men called him the Wake. This vigorous and valiant man
+was born to be the hero and champion of the English, in their final
+struggle for freedom against their Norman foes.
+
+A new passion entered Hereward's soul in Flanders, that of love. He met
+and wooed there a fair lady, Torfrida by name, who became his wife. A
+faithful helpmeet she proved, his good comrade in his wanderings, his
+wise counseller in warfare, and ever a softening influence in the fierce
+warrior's life. Hitherto the sword had been his mistress, his temper the
+turbulent and hasty one of the dweller in camp. Henceforth he owed a
+divided allegiance to love and the sword, and grew softer in mood,
+gentler and more merciful in disposition, as life went on.
+
+To this wandering Englishman beyond the seas came tidings of sad
+disasters in his native land. Harold and his army had been overthrown at
+Hastings, and Norman William was on the throne; Norman earls had
+everywhere seized on English manors, Norman churls, ennobled on the
+field of battle, were robbing and enslaving the old owners of the land.
+The English had risen in the north, and William had harried whole
+counties, leaving a desert where he had found a fertile and flourishing
+land. The sufferings of the English at home touched the heart of this
+genuine Englishman abroad. Hereward the Wake gathered a band of stout
+warriors, took ship, and set sail for his native land.
+
+And now, to a large extent, we leave the realm of legend, and enter the
+domain of fact. Hereward henceforth is a historical character, but a
+history his with shreds of romance still clinging to its skirts. First
+of all, story credits him with descending on his ancestral hall of
+Bourne, then in the possession of Normans, his father driven from his
+domain, and now in his grave. Hereward dealt with the Normans as
+Ulysses had done with the suitors, and when the hall was his there were
+few of them left to tell the tale. Thence, not caring to be cooped up by
+the enemy within stone walls, he marched merrily away, and sought a
+safer refuge elsewhere.
+
+This descent upon Bourne we should like to accept as fact. It has in it
+the elements of righteous retribution. But we must admit that it is one
+of the shreds of romance of which we have spoken, one of those
+interesting stories which men believe to be true because they would like
+them to be true,--possibly with a solid foundation, certainly with much
+embellishment.
+
+Where we first surely find Hereward is in the heart of the fen country
+of eastern England. Here, at Ely in Cambridgeshire, a band of Englishmen
+had formed what they called a "Camp of Refuge," whence they issued at
+intervals in excursions against the Normans. England had no safer haven
+of retreat for her patriot sons. Ely was practically an island, being
+surrounded by watery marshes on all sides. Lurking behind the reeds and
+rushes of these fens, and hidden by their misty exhalations, that
+faithful band had long defied its foes.
+
+Hither came Hereward with his warlike followers, and quickly found
+himself at the head of the band of patriot refugees. History was
+repeating itself. Centuries before King Alfred had sought just such a
+shelter against the Danes, and had troubled his enemies as Hereward now
+began to trouble his.
+
+The exiles of the Camp of Refuge found new blood in their organization
+when Hereward became their leader. Their feeble forays were quickly
+replaced by bold and daring ones. Issuing like hornets from their nests,
+Hereward and his valiant followers sharply stung the Norman invaders,
+hesitating not to attack them wherever found, cutting off armed bands,
+wresting from them the spoils of which they had robbed the Saxons, and
+flying back to their reedy shelter before their foes could gather in
+force.
+
+Of the exploits of this band of active warriors but one is told in full,
+and that one is worth repeating. The Abbey of Peterborough, not far
+removed from Ely, had submitted to Norman rule and gained a Norman
+abbot, Turold by name. This angered the English at Ely, and they made a
+descent upon the settlement. No great harm was intended. Food and some
+minor spoil would have satisfied the raiders. But the frightened monks,
+instead of throwing themselves on the clemency of their
+fellow-countrymen, sent word in haste to Turold. This incensed the
+raiding band, composed in part of English, in part of Danes who had
+little regard for church privileges. Provoked to fury, they set fire to
+the monks' house and the town, and only one house escaped the flames.
+Then they assailed the monastery, the monks flying for their lives. The
+whole band of outlaws burst like wolves into the minster, which they
+rapidly cleared of its treasures. Here some climbed to the great rood,
+and carried off its golden ornaments. There others made their way to
+the steeple, where had been hidden the gold and silver pastoral staff.
+Shrines, roods, books, vestments, money, treasures of all sorts
+vanished, and when Abbot Turold appeared with a party of armed Normans,
+he found but the bare walls of the church and the ashes of the town,
+with only a sick monk to represent the lately prosperous monastery.
+Whether or not Hereward took part in this affair, history does not say.
+
+King William had hitherto disregarded this patriot refuge, and the bold
+deeds of the valiant Hereward. All England besides had submitted to his
+authority, and he was too busy in the work of making a feudal kingdom of
+free England to trouble himself about one small centre of insurrection.
+But an event occurred that caused him to look upon Hereward with more
+hostile eyes.
+
+Among those who had early sworn fealty to him, after the defeat of
+Harold at Hastings, were Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and
+Northumberland. They were confirmed in the possession of their estates
+and dignities, and remained faithful to William during the general
+insurrection of northern England. As time went on, however, their
+position became unbearable. The king failed to give them his confidence,
+the courtiers envied them their wealth and titles, and maligned them to
+the king. Their dignity of position was lost at the court; their safety
+even was endangered; they resolved, when too late, to emulate their
+braver countryman, and strike a blow for home and liberty. Edwin sought
+his domain in the north, bent on insurrection. Morcar made his way to
+the Isle of Ely, where he took service with his followers, and with
+other noble Englishmen, under the brave Hereward, glad to find one spot
+on which a man of true English blood could still set foot in freedom.
+
+His adhesion brought ruin instead of strength to Hereward. If William
+could afford to neglect a band of outlaws in the fens, he could not rest
+with these two great earls in arms against him. There were forces in the
+north to attend to Edwin; Morcar and Hereward must be looked after.
+
+[Illustration: ELY CATHEDRAL.]
+
+Gathering an army, William marched to the fen country and prepared to
+attack the last of the English in their almost inaccessible Camp of
+Refuge. He had already built himself a castle at Cambridge, and here he
+dwelt while directing his attack against the outlaws of the fens.
+
+The task before him was not a light one, in the face of an opponent so
+skilful and vigilant as Hereward the Wake. The Normans of that region
+had found him so ubiquitous and so constantly victorious that they
+ascribed his success to enchantment; and even William, who was not free
+from the superstitions of his day, seemed to imagine that he had an
+enchanter for a foe. Enchanter or not, however, he must be dealt with as
+a soldier, and there was but one way in which he could be reached. The
+heavily-armed Norman soldiers could not cross the marsh. From one side
+the Isle of Ely could be approached by vessels, but it was here so
+strongly defended that the king's ships failed to make progress against
+Hereward's works. Finding his attack by water a failure, William began
+the building of a causeway, two miles long, across the morasses from the
+dry land to the island.
+
+This was no trifling labor. There was a considerable depth of mud and
+water to fill, and stones and trunks of trees were brought for the
+purpose from all the surrounding country, the trees being covered with
+hides as a protection against fire. The work did not proceed in peace.
+Hereward and his men contested its progress at every point, attacked the
+workmen with darts and arrows from the light boats in which they
+navigated the waters of the fens, and, despite the hides, succeeded in
+setting fire to the woodwork of the causeway. More than once it had to
+be rebuilt; more than once it broke down under the weight of the Norman
+knights and men-at-arms, who crowded upon it in their efforts to reach
+the island, and many of these eager warriors, weighed down by the burden
+of their armor, met a dismal death in the mud and water of the marshes.
+
+Hereward fought with his accustomed courage, warlike skill, and
+incessant vigilance, and gave King William no easy task, despite the
+strength of his army and the abundance of his resources. But such a
+contest, against so skilled an enemy as William the Conqueror, and with
+such disparity of numbers, could have but one termination. Hereward
+struck so valiant a last blow for England that he won the admiration of
+his great opponent; but William was not the man to rest content with
+aught short of victory, and every successful act of defence on the part
+of the English was met by a new movement of assault. Despite all
+Hereward's efforts, the causeway slowly but surely moved forward across
+the fens.
+
+But Hereward's chief danger lay behind rather than before; in the island
+rather than on the mainland. His accessions of nobles and commons had
+placed a strong body of men under his command, with whom he might have
+been able to meet William's approaches by ship and causeway, had not
+treason laid intrenched in the island itself. With war in his front and
+treachery in his rear the gallant Wake had a double danger to contend
+with.
+
+This brings us to a picturesque scene, deftly painted by the old
+chroniclers. Ely had its abbey, a counterpart of that of Peterborough.
+Thurston, the abbot, was English-born, as were the monks under his
+pastoral charge; and long the cowled inmates of the abbey and the armed
+patriots of the Camp of Refuge dwelt in sweet accord. In the refectory
+of the abbey monks and warriors sat side by side at table, their
+converse at meals being doubtless divided between affairs spiritual and
+affairs temporal, while from walls and roof hung the arms of the
+warriors, harmoniously mingled with the emblems of the church. It was a
+picture of the marriage of church and state well worthy of reproduction
+on canvas.
+
+Yet King William knew how to deal with Abbot Thurston. Lands belonging
+to the monastery lay beyond the fens, and on these the king laid the
+rough hand of royal right, as an earnest of what would happen when the
+monastery itself should fall into his hands. A flutter of terror shook
+the hearts of the abbot and his family of monks. To them it seemed that
+the skies were about to fall, and that they would be wise to stand from
+under.
+
+While the monks of Ely were revolving this threat of disaster in their
+souls, the tide of assault and defence rolled on. William's causeway
+pushed its slow length forward through the fens. Hereward assailed it
+with fire and sword, and harried the king's lands outside by sudden
+raids. It is said that, like King Alfred before him, he more than once
+visited the camp of the Normans in disguise, and spied out their ways
+and means of warfare.
+
+There is a story connected with this warlike enterprise so significant
+of the times that it must be told. Whether or not William believed
+Hereward to be an enchanter, he took steps to defeat enchantment, if any
+existed. An old woman, who had the reputation of being a sorceress, was
+brought to the royal camp, and her services engaged in the king's cause.
+A wooden tower was built, and pushed along the causeway in front of the
+troops, the old woman within it actively dispensing her incantations and
+calling down the powers of witch-craft upon Hereward's head.
+Unfortunately for her, Hereward tried against her sorcery of the
+broomstick the enchantment of the brand, setting fire to the tower and
+burning it and the sorceress within it. We could scarcely go back to a
+later date than the eleventh century to find such an absurdity as this
+possible, but in those days of superstition even such a man as William
+the Conqueror was capable of it.
+
+How the contest would have ended had treason been absent it is not easy
+to say. As it was, Abbot Thurston and his monks brought the siege to a
+sudden and disastrous end. They showed the king a secret way of approach
+to the island, and William's warriors took the camp of Hereward by
+surprise. What followed scarcely needs the telling. A fierce and sharp
+struggle, men falling and dying in scores, William's heavy-armed
+warriors pressing heavily upon the ranks of the more lightly clad
+Englishmen, and final defeat and surrender, complete the story of the
+assault upon Ely.
+
+William had won, but Hereward still defied him. Striking his last blow
+in defence, the gallant leader, with a small band of chosen followers,
+cut a lane of blood through the Norman ranks and made his way to a small
+fleet of ships which he had kept armed and guarded for such an
+emergency. Sail was set, and down the stream they sped to the open sea,
+still setting at defiance the power of Norman William.
+
+We have two further lines of story to follow, one of history, the other
+of romance; one that of the reward of the monks for their treachery, the
+other that of the later story of Hereward the Wake. Abbot Thurston
+hastened to make his submission to the king. He and the inmates of the
+monastery sought the court, then at Warwick, and humbly begged the royal
+favor and protection. The story goes that William repaid their visit by
+a journey to Ely, where he entered the minster while the monks, all
+unconscious of the royal visit, were at their meal in the refectory. The
+king stood humbly at a distance from the shrine, as not worthy to
+approach it, but sent a mark of gold to be offered as his tribute upon
+the altar.
+
+Meanwhile, one Gilbert of Clare entered the refectory, and asked the
+feasting monks whether they could not dine at some other time, and if it
+were not wise to repress their hunger while King William was in the
+church. Like a flock of startled pigeons the monks rose, their appetites
+quite gone, and flocked tumultuously towards the church. They were too
+late. William was gone. But in his short visit he had left them a most
+unwelcome legacy by marking out the site of a castle within the
+precincts of the monastery, and giving orders for its immediate building
+by forced labor.
+
+Abbot Thurston finally purchased peace from the king at a high rate,
+paying him three hundred marks of silver for his one mark of gold. Nor
+was this the end. The silver marks proved to be light in weight. To
+appease the king's anger at this, another three hundred silver marks
+were offered, and King William graciously suffered them to say their
+prayers thenceforward in peace. Their treachery to Hereward had not
+proved profitable to the traitors.
+
+If now we return to the story of Hereward the Wake, we must once more
+leave the realm of history for that of legend, for what further is told
+of him, though doubtless based on fact, is strictly legendary in
+structure. Landing on the coast of Lincolnshire, the fugitives abandoned
+their light ships for the widespreading forests of that region, and long
+lived the life of outlaws in the dense woodland adjoining Hereward's
+ancestral home of Bourne. Like an earlier Robin Hood, the valiant Wake
+made the greenwood his home and the Normans his prey, covering nine
+shires in his bold excursions, which extended as far as the distant town
+of Warwick. The Abbey of Peterborough, with its Norman abbot, was an
+object of his special detestation, and more than once Turold and his
+monks were put to flight, while the abbey yielded up a share of its
+treasures to the bold assailants.
+
+How long Hereward and his men dwelt in the greenwood we are not able to
+say. They defied there the utmost efforts of their foes, and King
+William, whose admiration for his defiant enemy had not decreased,
+despairing of reducing him by force, made him overtures of peace.
+Hereward was ready for them. He saw clearly by this time that the Norman
+yoke was fastened too firmly on England's neck to be thrown off. He had
+fought as long as fighting was of use. Surrender only remained. A day
+came at length in which he rode from the forest with forty stout
+warriors at his back, made his way to the royal seat of Winchester, and
+knocked at the city gates, bidding the guards to carry the news to the
+conqueror that Hereward the Wake had come.
+
+William gladly received him. He knew the value of a valiant soul, and
+was thereafter a warm friend of Hereward, who, on his part, remained as
+loyal and true to the king as he had been strong and earnest against
+him. And so years passed on, Hereward in favor at court, and he and
+Torfrida, his Flemish wife, living happily in the castle which William's
+bounty had provided them.
+
+There is more than one story of Hereward's final fate. One account says
+that he ended his days in peace. The other, more in accordance with the
+spirit of the times and the hatred and jealousy felt by many of the
+Norman nobles against this English protégé of the king, is so stirring
+in its details that it serves as a fitting termination to the Hereward
+romance.
+
+The story goes that he kept close watch and ward in his house against
+his many enemies. But on one occasion his chaplain, Ethelward, then on
+lookout duty, fell asleep on his post. A band of Normans was
+approaching, who broke into the house without warning being given, and
+attacked Hereward alone in his hall.
+
+He had barely time to throw on his armor when his enemies burst in upon
+him and assailed him with sword and spear. The fight that ensued was one
+that would have gladdened the soul of a Viking of old. Hereward laid
+about him with such savage energy that the floor was soon strewn with
+the dead bodies of his foes, and crimsoned with their blood. Finally the
+spear broke in the hero's hand. Next he grasped his sword and did with
+it mighty deeds of valor. This, too, was broken in the stress of fight.
+His shield was the only weapon left him, and this he used with such
+vigor and skill that before he had done fifteen Normans lay dead upon
+the floor.
+
+Four of his enemies now got behind him and smote him in the back. The
+great warrior was brought to his knees. A Breton knight, Ralph of Dol,
+rushed upon him, but found the wounded lion dangerous still. With a last
+desperate effort Hereward struck him a deadly blow with his buckler, and
+Breton and Saxon fell dead together to the floor. Another of the
+assailants, Asselin by name, now cut off the head of this last defender
+of Saxon England, and holding it in the air, swore by God and his might
+that he had never before seen a man of such valor and strength, and that
+if there had been three more like him in the land the French would have
+been driven out of England, or been slain on its soil.
+
+And so ends the stirring story of Hereward the Wake, that mighty man of
+old.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DEATH OF THE RED KING._
+
+
+William of Normandy, by the grace of God and his iron mace, had made
+himself king of England. An iron king he proved, savage, ruthless, the
+descendant of a few generations of pirate Norsemen, and himself a pirate
+in blood and temper. England strained uneasily under the harsh rein
+which he placed upon it, and he harried the country mercilessly, turning
+a great area of fertile land into a desert. That he might have a
+hunting-park near the royal palace, he laid waste all the land that lay
+between Winchester and the sea, planting there, in place of the homes
+destroyed and families driven out, what became known as the "New
+Forest." Nothing angered the English more than this ruthless act. A law
+had been passed that any one caught killing a deer in William's new
+hunting-grounds should have his eyes put out. Men prayed for
+retribution. It came. The New Forest proved fatal to the race of the
+Conqueror. In 1081 his oldest son Richard mortally wounded himself
+within its precincts. In May of the year 1100 his grandson Richard, son
+of Duke Robert, was killed there by a stray arrow. And, as if to
+emphasize more strongly this work of retribution, two months afterwards
+William Rufus, the Red King, the son of the Conqueror, was slain in the
+same manner within its leafy shades.
+
+William Rufus--William II. of England--was, like all his Norman
+ancestors, fond of the chase. When there were no men to be killed, these
+fierce old dukes and kings solaced themselves with the slaughter of
+beasts. In early summer of the year 1100 the Red King was at Winchester
+Castle, on the skirts of the New Forest. Thence he rode to Malwood-Keep,
+a favorite hunting-lodge in the forest. Boon companions were with him,
+numbers of them, one of them a French knight named Sir Walter Tyrrell,
+the king's favorite. Here the days were spent in the delights of the
+chase, the nights in feasting and carousing, and all went merrily.
+
+Around them spread far and wide the umbrageous lanes and alleys of the
+New Forest, trees of every variety, oaks in greatest number, crowding
+the soil. As yet there were no trees of mighty girth. The forest was
+young. Few of its trees had more than a quarter-century of growth,
+except where more ancient woodland had been included. The place was
+solitary, tenanted only by the deer which had replaced man upon its
+soil, and by smaller creatures of wing and fur. Barely a human foot trod
+there, save when the king's hunting retinue swept through its verdant
+aisles and woke its solitary depths with the cheerful notes of the
+hunting-horn. The savage laws of the Conqueror kept all others but the
+most daring poachers from its aisles.
+
+Such was the stage set for the tragedy which we have to relate. The
+story goes that rough jests passed at Malwood-Keep between Tyrrell and
+the king, ending in anger, as jests are apt to. William boasted that he
+would carry an army through France to the Alps. Tyrrell, heated with
+wine, answered that he might find France a net easier to enter than to
+escape from. The hearers remembered these bitter words afterwards.
+
+On the night before the fatal day it is said that cries of terror came
+from the king's bed-chamber. The attendants rushed thither, only to find
+that the monarch had been the victim of nightmare. When morning came he
+laughed the incident to scorn, saying that dreams were fit to scare only
+old women and children. His companions were not so easily satisfied.
+Those were days when all men's souls were open to omens good and bad.
+They earnestly advised him not to hunt that day. William jested at their
+fears, vowed that no dream should scare him from the chase, yet, uneasy
+at heart, perhaps, let the hours pass without calling for his horse.
+Midday came. Dinner was served. William ate and drank with unusual
+freedom. Wine warmed his blood and drove off his clinging doubts. He
+rose from the table and ordered his horse to be brought. The day was
+young enough still to strike a deer, he said.
+
+The king was in high spirits. He joked freely with his guests as he
+mounted his horse and prepared for the chase. As he sat in his saddle a
+woodman presented him six new arrows. He examined them, declared that
+they were well made and proper shafts, and put four of them in his
+quiver, handing the other two to Walter Tyrrell.
+
+"These are for you," he said. "Good marksmen should have good arms."
+
+Tyrrell took them, thanked William for the gift, and the hunting-party
+was about to start, when there appeared a monk who asked to speak with
+the king.
+
+"I come from the convent of St. Peter, at Gloucester," he said. "The
+abbot bids me give a message to your majesty."
+
+"Abbot Serlon; a good Norman he," said the king. "What would he say?"
+
+"Your majesty," said the monk, with great humility, "he bids me state
+that one of his monks has dreamed a dream of evil omen. He deems the
+king should know it."
+
+"A dream!" declared the king. "Has he sent you hither to carry shadows?
+Well, tell me your dream. Time presses."
+
+"The dream was this. The monk, in his sleep, saw Jesus Christ sitting on
+a throne, and at his feet kneeled a woman, who supplicated him in these
+words: 'Saviour of the human race, look down with pity on thy people
+groaning under the yoke of William.'"
+
+The king greeted this message with a loud laugh.
+
+"Do they take me for an Englishman, with their dreams?" he asked. "Do
+they fancy that I am fool enough to give up my plans because a monk
+dreams or an old woman sneezes? Go, tell your abbot I have heard his
+story. Come, Walter de Poix, to horse!"
+
+The train swept away, leaving the monkish messenger alone, the king's
+disdainful laugh still in his ears. With William were his brother Henry,
+long at odds with him, now reconciled, William de Breteuil, and several
+other nobles. Quickly they vanished among the thickly clustering trees,
+and soon broke up into small groups, each of which took its own route
+through the forest. Walter Tyrrell alone remained with the king, their
+dogs hunting together.
+
+That was the last that was seen of William, the Red King, alive. When
+the hunters returned he was not with them. Tyrrell, too, was missing.
+What had become of them? Search was made, but neither could be found,
+and doubt and trouble of soul pervaded Malwood-Keep.
+
+The shades of night were fast gathering when a poor charcoal-burner,
+passing with his cart through the forest, came upon a dead body
+stretched bleeding upon the grass. An arrow had pierced its breast.
+Lifting it into his cart, wrapped in old linen, he jogged slowly onward,
+the blood still dripping and staining the ground as he passed. Not till
+he reached the hunting-lodge did he discover that it was the corpse of a
+king he had found in the forest depths. The dead body was that of
+William II. of England.
+
+Tyrrell had disappeared. In vain they sought him. He was nowhere to be
+found. Suspicion rested on him. He had murdered the king, men said, and
+fled the land.
+
+Mystery has ever since shrouded the death of the Red King. Tyrrell lived
+to tell his tale. It was probably a true one, though many doubted it.
+The Frenchman had quarrelled with the king, men said, and had murdered
+him from revenge. Just why he should have murdered so powerful a friend
+and patron, for a taunt passed in jest, was far from evident.
+
+Tyrrell's story is as follows: He and the king had taken their stations,
+opposite one another, waiting the work of the woodsmen who were beating
+up the game. Each had an arrow in his cross-bow, his finger on the
+trigger, eagerly listening for the distant sounds which would indicate
+the coming of game. As they stood thus intent, a large stag suddenly
+broke from the bushes and sprang into the space between them.
+
+William drew, but the bow-string broke in his hand. The stag, startled
+at the sound, stood confused, looking suspiciously around. The king
+signed to Tyrrell to shoot, but the latter, for some reason, did not
+obey. William grew impatient, and called out,--
+
+"Shoot, Walter, shoot, in the devil's name!"
+
+Shoot he did. An instant afterwards the king fell without word or moan.
+Tyrrell's arrow had struck a tree, and, glancing, pierced the king's
+breast; or it may be that an arrow from a more distant bow had struck
+him. When Tyrrell reached his side he was dead.
+
+The French knight knew what would follow if he fell into the hands of
+the king's companions. He could not hope to make people credit his tale.
+Mounting his horse, he rode with all speed through the forest, not
+drawing rein till the coast was reached. He had far outridden the news
+of the tragedy. Taking ship here, he crossed over in haste to Normandy,
+and thence made his way to France, not drawing a breath free from care
+till he felt the soil of his native land beneath his feet. Here he lived
+to a good age and died in peace, his life diversified by a crusading
+visit to the Holy Land.
+
+The end of the Red King resembled that of his father. The Conqueror had
+been deserted before he had fairly ceased breathing, his body left half
+clad on the bare boards of his chamber, while some of his attendants
+rifled the palace, others hastened to offer their services to his son.
+The same scenes followed the Red King's death. His body was left in the
+charcoal-burner's cart, clotted with blood, to be conveyed to
+Winchester, while his brother Henry rode post-haste thither to seize the
+royal treasure, and the train of courtiers rode as rapid a course, to
+look after their several interests.
+
+Reaching the royal palace, Henry imperiously demanded the keys of the
+king's treasure-chamber. Before he received them William de Breteuil
+entered, breathless with haste, and bade the keepers not to deliver
+them.
+
+"Thou and I," he said to Henry, "ought loyally to keep the faith which
+we promised to thy brother, Duke Robert; he has received our oath of
+homage, and, absent or present, he has the right."
+
+But what was faith, what an oath, when a crown was the prize? A quarrel
+followed; Henry drew his sword; the people around supported him; soon he
+had the treasure and the royal regalia; Robert might have the right, he
+had the kingdom.
+
+There is tradition connected with the Red King's death. A stirrup hangs
+in Lyndhurst Hall, said to be that which he used on that fatal day. The
+charcoal-burner was named Purkess. There are Purkesses still in the
+village of Minstead, near where William Rufus died. And the story runs
+that the earthly possessions of the Purkess family have ever since been
+a single horse and cart. A stone marks the spot where the king fell, on
+it is the inscription,--
+
+"Here stood the oak-tree on which the arrow, shot by Walter Tyrrell at a
+stag, glanced and struck King William II., surnamed Rufus, on the
+breast; of which stroke he instantly died on the second of August, 1100.
+
+"That the spot where an event so memorable had happened might not
+hereafter be unknown, this stone was set up by John, Lord Delaware, who
+had seen the tree growing in this place, anno 1745."
+
+We may end by saying that England was revenged; the retribution for
+which her children had prayed had overtaken the race of the pirate
+king. That broad domain of Saxon England, which William the Conqueror
+had wrested from its owners to make himself a hunting-forest, was
+reddened with the blood of two of his sons and a grandson. The hand of
+Heaven had fallen on that cruel race. The New Forest was consecrated in
+the blood of one of the Norman kings.
+
+
+
+
+_HOW THE WHITE SHIP SAILED._
+
+
+Henry I., king of England, had made peace with France. Then to Normandy
+went the king with a great retinue, that he might have Prince William,
+his only and dearly-loved son, acknowledged as his successor by the
+Norman nobles and married to the daughter of the Count of Anjou. Both
+these things were done; regal was the display, great the rejoicing, and
+on the 25th of November, 1120, the king and his followers, with the
+prince and his fair young bride, prepared to embark at Barfleur on their
+triumphant journey home.
+
+So far all had gone well. Now disaster lowered. Fate had prepared a
+tragedy that was to load the king's soul with life-long grief and yield
+to English history one of its most pathetic tales.
+
+Of the vessels of the fleet, one of the best was a fifty-oared galley
+called "The White Ship," commanded by a certain Thomas Fitzstephen,
+whose father had sailed the ship on which William the Conqueror first
+came to England's shores. This service Fitzstephen represented to the
+king, and begged that he might be equally honored.
+
+"My liege," he said, "my father steered the ship with the golden boy
+upon the prow in which your father sailed to conquer England, I beseech
+you to grant me the same honor, that of carrying you in the White Ship
+to England."
+
+"I am sorry, friend," said the king, "that my vessel is already chosen,
+and that I cannot sail with the son of the man who served my father. But
+the prince and all his company shall go along with you in the White
+Ship, which you may esteem an honor equal to that of carrying me."
+
+By evening of that day the king with his retinue had set sail, with a
+fair wind, for England's shores, leaving the prince with his attendants
+to follow in Fitzstephen's ship. With the prince were his natural
+brother Richard, his sister the countess of Perch, Richard, earl of
+Chester, with his wife, the king's niece, together with one hundred and
+forty of the flower of the young nobility of England and Normandy,
+accompanying whom were many ladies of high descent. The whole number of
+persons taking passage on the White Ship, including the crew, were three
+hundred.
+
+Prince William was but a boy, and one who did little honor to his
+father's love. He was a dissolute youth of eighteen, who had so little
+feeling for the English as to have declared that when he came to the
+throne he would yoke them to the plough like oxen. Destiny had decided
+that the boastful boy should not have the opportunity to carry out this
+threat.
+
+"Give three casks of wine, Fitzstephen," he said, "to your crew. My
+father, the king, has sailed. What time have we to make merry here and
+still reach England with the rest?"
+
+"If we sail at midnight," answered Fitzstephen, "my fifty rowers and the
+White Ship shall overtake the swiftest vessel in the king's fleet before
+daybreak."
+
+"Then let us be merry," said the prince; "the night is fine, the time
+young, let us enjoy it while we may."
+
+Merry enough they were; the prince and his companions danced in the
+moonlight on the ship's deck, the sailors emptied their wine-casks, and
+when at last they left the harbor there was not a sober sailor on board,
+and the captain himself was the worse for wine.
+
+As the ship swept from the port, the young nobles, heated with wine,
+hung over the sides and drove away with taunts the priests who had come
+to give the usual benediction. Wild youths were they,--the most of
+them,--gay, ardent, in the hey-day of life, caring mainly for pleasure,
+and with little heed of aught beyond the moment's whim. There seemed
+naught to give them care, in sooth. The sea lay smooth beneath them, the
+air was mild, the moon poured its soft lustre upon the deck, and
+propitious fortune appeared to smile upon the ship as it rushed onward,
+under the impulse of its long banks of oars, in haste to overtake the
+distant fleet of the king.
+
+All went merrily. Fitzstephen grasped the helm, his soul proud with the
+thought that, as his father had borne the Conqueror to England's
+strand, he was bearing the pride of younger England, the heir to the
+throne. On the deck before him his passengers were gathered in merry
+groups, singing, laughing, chatting, the ladies in their rich-lined
+mantles, the gentlemen in their bravest attire; while to the sound of
+song and merry talk the well-timed fall of the oars and swash of driven
+waters made refrain.
+
+They had reached the harbor's mouth. The open ocean lay before them. In
+a few minutes more they would be sweeping over the Atlantic's broad
+expanse. Suddenly there came a frightful crash; a shock that threw
+numbers of the passengers headlong to the deck, and tore the oars from
+the rowers' hands; a cry of terror that went up from three hundred
+throats. It is said that some of the people in the far-off ships heard
+that cry, faint, far, despairing, borne to them over miles of sea, and
+asked themselves in wonder what it could portend.
+
+It portended too much wine and too little heed. The vessel, carelessly
+steered, had struck upon a rock, the _Catee-raze_, at the harbor's
+mouth, with such, violence that a gaping wound was torn in her prow, and
+the waters instantly began to rush in.
+
+The White Ship was injured, was filling, would quickly sink. Wild
+consternation prevailed. There was but one boat, and that small.
+Fitzstephen, sobered by the concussion, hastily lowered it, crowded into
+it the prince and a few nobles, and bade them hastily to push off and
+row to the land.
+
+"It is not far," he said, "and the sea is smooth. The rest of us must
+die."
+
+They obeyed. The boat was pushed off, the oars dropped into the water,
+it began to move from the ship. At that moment, amid the cries of horror
+and despair on the sinking vessel, came one that met the prince's ear in
+piteous appeal. It was the voice of his sister, Marie, the countess of
+Perch, crying to him for help.
+
+In that moment of frightful peril Prince William's heart beat true.
+
+"Row back at any risk!" he cried. "My sister must be saved. I cannot
+bear to leave her."
+
+They rowed back. But the hope that from that panic-stricken multitude
+one woman could be selected was wild. No sooner had the boat reached the
+ship's side than dozens madly sprung into it, in such numbers that it
+was overturned. At almost the same moment the White Ship went down,
+dragging all within reach into her eddying vortex. Death spread its
+sombre wings over the spot where, a few brief minutes before, life and
+joy had ruled.
+
+When the tossing eddies subsided, the pale moonlight looked down on but
+two souls of all that gay and youthful company. These clung to a spar
+which had broken loose from the mast and floated on the waves, or to the
+top of the mast itself, which stood above the surface.
+
+"Only two of us, out of all that gallant company!" said one of these in
+despairing tones. "Who are you, friend and comrade?"
+
+"I am a nobleman, Godfrey, the son of Gilbert de L'Aigle. And you?" he
+asked.
+
+"I am Berold, a poor butcher of Rouen," was the answer.
+
+"God be merciful to us both!" they then cried together.
+
+Immediately afterwards they saw a third, who had risen and was swimming
+towards them. As he drew near he pushed the wet, clinging hair from his
+face, and they saw the white, agonized countenance of Fitzstephen. He
+gazed at them with eager eyes; then cast a long, despairing look on the
+waters around him.
+
+"Where is the prince?" he asked, in tones that seemed to shudder with
+terror.
+
+"Gone! gone!" they cried. "Not one of all on board, except we three, has
+risen above the water."
+
+"Woe! woe, to me!" moaned Fitzstephen. He ceased swimming, turned to
+them a face ghastly with horror, and then sank beneath the waves, to
+join the goodly company whom his negligence had sent to a watery death.
+He dared not live to meet the father of his charge.
+
+The two continued to cling to their support. But the water had in it the
+November chill, the night was long, the tenderly-reared nobleman lacked
+the endurance of his humbler companion. Before day-dawn he said, in
+faint accents,--
+
+"I am exhausted and chilled with the cold. I can hold on no longer.
+Farewell, good friend! God preserve you!"
+
+He loosed his hold and sank. The butcher of Rouen remained alone.
+
+When day came some fisherman saw this clinging form from the shore,
+rowed out, and brought him in, the sole one living of all that goodly
+company. A few hours before the pride and hope of Normandy and England
+had crowded that noble ship. Now only a base-born butcher survived to
+tell the story of disaster, and the stately White Ship, with her noble
+freightage, lay buried beneath the waves.
+
+For three days no one dared tell King Henry the dreadful story. Such was
+his love for his son that they feared his grief might turn to madness,
+and their lives pay the forfeit of their venture. At length a little lad
+was sent in to him with the tale. Weeping bitterly, and kneeling at the
+king's feet, the child told in broken accents the story which had been
+taught him, how the White Ship had gone to the bottom at the mouth of
+Barfleur harbor, and all on board been lost save one poor commoner.
+Prince William, his son, was dead.
+
+The king heard him to the end, with slowly whitening face and
+horror-stricken eyes. At the conclusion of the child's narrative the
+monarch fell prostrate to the floor, and lay there long like one
+stricken with death. The chronicle of this sad tragedy ends in one short
+phrase, which is weighty with its burden of grief,--From that day on
+King Henry never smiled again!
+
+
+
+
+_A CONTEST FOR A CROWN._
+
+
+Terrible was the misery of England. Torn between contending factions,
+like a deer between snarling wolves, the people suffered martyrdom,
+while thieves and assassins, miscalled soldiers, and brigands, miscalled
+nobles, ravaged the land and tortured its inhabitants. Outrage was law,
+and death the only refuge from barbarity, and at no time in the history
+of England did its people endure such misery as in those years of the
+loosening of the reins of justice and mercy which began with 1139
+A.D.
+
+It was the autumn of the year named. At every port of England bands of
+soldiers were landing, with arms and baggage; along every road leading
+from the coast bands of soldiers were marching; in every town bands of
+soldiers were mustering; here joining in friendly union, there coming
+into hostile contact, for they represented rival parties, and were
+speeding to the gathering points of their respective leaders.
+
+All England was in a ferment, men everywhere arming and marching. All
+Normandy was in turmoil, soldiers of fortune crowding to every port,
+eager to take part in the harrying of the island realm. The Norman
+nobles of England were everywhere fortifying their castles, which had
+been sternly prohibited by the recent king. Law and authority were for
+the time being abrogated, and every man was preparing to fight for his
+own hand and his own land. A single day, almost, had divided the Normans
+of England into two factions, not yet come to blows, but facing each
+other like wild beasts at bay. And England and the English were the prey
+craved by both these herds of human wolves.
+
+There were two claimants to the throne: Matilda,--or Maud, as she is
+usually named,--daughter of Henry I., and Stephen of Blois, grandson of
+William the Conqueror. Henry had named his daughter as his successor;
+Stephen seized the throne; the issue was sharply drawn between them.
+Each of them had a legal claim to the throne, Stephen's the better, he
+being the nearest male heir. No woman had as yet ruled in England.
+Maud's mother had been of ancient English descent, which gave her
+popularity among the Saxon inhabitants of the land. Stephen was
+personally popular, a good-humored, generous prodigal, his very faults
+tending to make him a favorite. Yet he was born to be a swordsman, not a
+king, and his only idea of royalty was to let the land rule--or misrule
+it if preferred--itself, while he enjoyed the pleasures and declined the
+toils of kingship.
+
+A few words will suffice to bring the history of those turbulent times
+up to the date of the opening of our story. The death of Henry I. was
+followed by anarchy in England. His daughter Maud, wife of Geoffry the
+Handsome, Count of Anjou, was absent from the land. Stephen, Count of
+Blois, and son of Adela, the Conqueror's daughter, was the first to
+reach it. Speeding across the Channel, he hurried through England, then
+in the turmoil of lawlessness, no noble joining him, no town opening to
+him its gates, until London was reached. There the coldness of his route
+was replaced by the utmost warmth of welcome. The city poured from its
+gates to meet him, hastened to elect him king, swore to defend him with
+blood and treasure, and only demanded in return that the new king should
+do his utmost to pacify the realm.
+
+Here Stephen failed. He was utterly unfit to govern. While he thought
+only of profligate enjoyment, the barons fortified their castles and
+became petty kings in their several domains. The great prelates followed
+their example. Then, for the first time, did Stephen awake from his
+dream of pleasure and attempt to play the king. He seized Roger, Bishop
+of Salisbury, and threw him into prison to force him to surrender his
+fortresses. This precipitated the trouble that brooded over England. The
+king lost the support of the clergy by his violence to their leader,
+alienated many of the nobles by his hasty action, and gave Maud the
+opportunity for which she had waited. She lost no time in offering
+herself to the English as a claimant to the crown.
+
+Her landing was made on the 22d of September, 1139, on the coast of
+Sussex. Here she threw herself into Arundel Castle, and quickly
+afterwards made her way to Bristol Castle, then held by her
+illegitimate brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester.
+
+And now the state of affairs we had described began. The nobles of the
+north and west of England renounced their allegiance to Stephen and
+swore allegiance to Maud. London and the east remained faithful to the
+king. A stream of men-at-arms, hired by both factions, poured from the
+neighboring coast of Normandy into the disputed realm. Each side had
+promised them, for their pay, the lands and wealth of the other. Like
+vultures to the feast they came, with little heed to the rights of the
+rival claimants and the wrongs of the people, with much heed to their
+own private needs and ambitions.
+
+In England such anarchy ruled as that land of much intestine war has
+rarely witnessed. The Norman nobles prepared in haste for the civil war,
+and in doing so made the English their prey. To raise the necessary
+funds, many of them sold their domains, townships, and villages, with
+the inhabitants thereof and all their goods. Others of them made forays
+on the lands of those of the opposite faction, and seized cattle,
+horses, sheep, and men alike carrying off the English in chains, that
+they might force them by torture to yield what wealth they possessed.
+
+Terror ruled supreme. The realm was in a panic of dread. So great was
+the alarm, that the inhabitants of city and town alike took to flight if
+they saw a distant group of horsemen approaching. Three or four armed
+men were enough to empty a town of its inhabitants. It was in Bristol,
+where Maud and her foreign troops lay, that the most extreme terror
+prevailed. All day long men were being brought into the city bound and
+gagged. The citizens had no immunity. Soldiers mingled among them in
+disguise, their arms concealed, their talk in the English tongue,
+strolling through markets and streets, listening to the popular chat,
+and then suddenly seizing any one who seemed to be in easy
+circumstances. These they would drag to their head-quarters and hold to
+ransom.
+
+The air was filled with tales of the frightful barbarities practised by
+the Norman nobles on the unhappy English captives in the depths of their
+gloomy castles. "They carried off," says the Saxon chronicle, "all who
+they thought possessed any property, men and women, by day and by night;
+and whilst they kept them imprisoned, they inflicted on them tortures,
+such as no martyr ever underwent, in order to obtain gold and silver
+from them." We must be excused from quoting the details of these
+tortures.
+
+"They killed many thousands of people by hunger," continues the
+chronicle. "They imposed tribute after tribute upon the towns and
+villages, calling this in their tongue _tenserie_. When the citizens had
+nothing more to give them, they plundered and burnt the town. You might
+have travelled a whole day without finding a single soul in the towns,
+or a cultivated field. The poor died of hunger, and those who had been
+formerly well-off begged their bread from door to door. Whoever had it
+in his power to leave England did so. Never was a country delivered up
+to so many miseries and misfortunes; even in the invasions of the pagans
+it suffered less than now. Neither the cemeteries nor the churches were
+spared; they seized all they could, and then set fire to the church. To
+till the ground was useless. It was openly reported that Christ and his
+saints were sleeping."
+
+One cannot but think that this frightful picture is somewhat overdrawn;
+yet nothing could indicate better the condition of a Middle-Age country
+under a weak king, and torn by the adherents of rival claimants to the
+throne.
+
+Let us leave this tale of torture and horror and turn to that of war. In
+the conflict between Stephen and Maud the king took the first step. He
+led his army against Bristol. It proved too strong for him, and his
+soldiers, in revenge, burnt the environs, after robbing them of all they
+could yield. Then, leaving Bristol, he turned against the castles on the
+Welsh borders, nearly all of whose lords had declared for Maud.
+
+From the laborious task of reducing these castles he was suddenly
+recalled by an insurrection in the territory so far faithful to him. The
+fens of Ely, in whose recesses Hereward the Wake had defied the
+Conqueror, now became the stronghold of a Norman revolt. A baron and a
+bishop, Baldwin de Revier and Lenior, Bishop of Ely, built stone
+intrenchments on the island, and defied the king from behind the watery
+shelter of the fens.
+
+Hither flocked the partisans of Maud; hither came Stephen, filled with
+warlike fury. He lacked the qualities that make a king, but he had those
+that go to make a soldier. The methods of the Conqueror in attacking
+Hereward were followed by Stephen in assailing his foes. Bridges of
+boats were built across the fens; over these the king's cavalry made
+their way to the firm soil of the island; a fierce conflict ensued,
+ending in the rout of the soldiers of Baldwin and Lenior. The bishop
+fled to Gloucester, whither Maud had now proceeded.
+
+Thus far the king had kept the field, while his rival lay intrenched in
+her strongholds. But her party was earnestly at work. The barons of the
+Welsh marches, whose castles had been damaged by the king, repaired
+them. Even the towers of the great churches were filled with war-engines
+and converted into fortresses, ditches being dug in the church-yards
+around, with little regard to the fact that the bones of the dead were
+unearthed and scattered over the soil. The Norman bishops, completely
+armed, and mounted on war-horses, took part in these operations, and
+were no more scrupulous than the barons in torturing the English to
+force from them their hoarded gold and silver.
+
+Those were certainly not the days of merry England. Nor were they days
+of pious England, when the heads of the church, armed with sword and
+spear, led armies against their foes. In this they were justified by
+the misrule of Stephen, who had shown his utter unfitness to rule. In
+truth, a bishop ended that first phase of the war. The Bishop of Chester
+rallied the troops which had fled from Ely. These grew by rapid
+accretions until a new army was in the field. Stephen attacked it, but
+the enemy held their own, and his troops were routed. They fled on all
+sides, leaving the king alone in the midst of his foes. He lacked not
+courage. Single-handed he defended himself against a throng of
+assailants. But his men were in flight; he stood alone; it was death or
+surrender; he yielded himself prisoner. He was taken to Gloucester, and
+thence to Bristol Castle, in whose dungeons he was imprisoned. For the
+time being the war was at an end. Maud was queen.
+
+The daughter of Henry might have reigned during the remainder of her
+life but for pride and folly, two faults fitted to wreck the best-built
+cause. All was on her side except herself. Her own arrogance drove her
+from the throne before it had grown warm from her sitting.
+
+For the time, indeed, Stephen's cause seemed lost. He was in a dungeon
+strongly guarded by his adversaries. His partisans went over in crowds
+to the opposite side,--his own brother, Henry, Bishop of Winchester,
+with them. The English peasants, embittered by oppression, rose against
+the beaten army, and took partial revenge for their wrongs by plundering
+and maltreating the defeated and dispersed soldiers in their flight.
+
+Maud made her way to Winchester, her progress being one of royal
+ostentation. Her entry to the town was like a Roman triumph. She was
+received with all honor, was voted queen in a great convocation of
+nobles, prelates, and knights, and seized the royal regalia and the
+treasures of her vanquished foe. All would have gone well with her had
+not good fortune turned her brain. Pride and a haughty spirit led to her
+hasty downfall.
+
+She grew arrogant and disdainful. Those who had made her queen found
+their requests met with refusal, their advice rejected with scorn. Those
+of the opposite party who had joined her were harshly treated. Her most
+devoted friends and adherents soon grew weak in their loyalty, and many
+withdrew from the court, with the feeling that they had been fools to
+support this haughty woman against the generous-hearted soldier who lay
+in Bristol dungeon.
+
+From Winchester Maud proceeded to London, after having done her cause as
+much harm as she well could in the brief time at her disposal. She was
+looked for in the capital city with sentiments of hope and pride. Her
+mother had been English, and the English citizens felt a glow of
+enthusiasm to feel that one whose blood was even half Saxon was coming
+to rule over them. Their pride quickly changed into anger and desire for
+revenge.
+
+Maud signalized her entrance into London by laying on the citizens an
+enormous poll-tax. Stephen had done his utmost to beggar them; famine
+threatened them; in extreme distress they prayed the queen to give them
+time to recover from their present miseries before laying fresh taxes on
+them.
+
+"The king has left us nothing," said their deputies, humbly.
+
+"I understand," answered Maud, with haughty disdain, "that you have
+given all to my adversary and have conspired with him against me; now
+you expect me to spare you. You shall pay the tax."
+
+"Then," pleaded the deputies, "give us something in return. Restore to
+us the good laws of thy great uncle, Edward, in place of those of thy
+father, King Henry, which are bad and too harsh for us."
+
+Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. The queen listened to
+the deputies in a rage, treated them as if they had been guilty of
+untold insolence in daring to make this request, and with harsh menaces
+drove them from her presence, bidding them to see that the tax was paid,
+or London should suffer bitterly for its contumacy.
+
+The deputies withdrew with a show of respect, but with fury in their
+hearts, and repaired to their council-chamber, whence the news of what
+had taken place sped rapidly through the city. In her palace Queen Maud
+waited in proud security, nothing doubting that she had humbled those
+insolent citizens, and that the deputies would soon return ready to
+creep on their knees to the foot of her throne and offer a golden
+recompense for their daring demand for milder laws.
+
+Suddenly the bells of London began to ring. In the streets adjoining
+the palace loud voices were heard. People seemed gathering rapidly. What
+did it mean? Were these her humbled citizens of London? Surely there
+were threats mingled with those harsh cries! Threats against the queen
+who had just entered London in triumph and been received with such
+hearty enthusiasm! Were the Londoners mad?
+
+She would have thought so had she been in the streets. From every house
+issued a man, armed with the first weapon he could find, his face
+inflamed with anger. They flocked out as tumultuously as bees from a
+hive, says an old writer. The streets of London, lately quiet, were now
+filled with a noisy throng, all hastening towards the palace, all
+uttering threats against this haughty foreign woman, who must have lost
+every drop of her English blood, they declared.
+
+The palace was filled with alarm. It looked as if the queen's Norman
+blood would be lost as well as that from her English sires. She had
+men-at-arms around her, but not enough to be of avail against the
+clustering citizens in those narrow and crooked streets. Flight, and
+that a speedy one, was all that remained. White with terror, the queen
+took to horse, and, surrounded by her knights and soldiers, fled from
+London with a haste that illy accorded with the stately and deliberate
+pride with which she had recently entered that turbulent capital.
+
+She was none too soon. The frightened cortége had not left the palace
+far behind it before the maddened citizens burst open its doors,
+searched every nook and cranny of the building for the queen and her
+body-guard, and, finding they had fled, wreaked their wrath on all that
+was left, plundering the apartments of all they contained.
+
+Meanwhile, the queen, wild with fright, was galloping at full speed from
+the hostile beehive she had disturbed. Her barons and knights, in a
+panic of fear and deeming themselves hotly pursued, dropped off from the
+party one by one, hoping for safety by leaving the highway for the
+by-ways, and caring little for the queen so that they saved their
+frightened selves. The queen rode on in mad terror until Oxford was
+reached, only her brother, the Earl of Gloucester, and a few others
+keeping her company to that town.
+
+They fled from a shadow. The citizens had not pursued them. These
+turbulent tradesmen were content with ridding London of this power-mad
+woman, and they went back satisfied to their homes, leaving the city
+open to occupation by the partisans of Stephen, who entered it under
+pretense of an alliance with the citizens. The Bishop of Winchester, who
+seems to have been something of a weathercock in his political faith,
+turned again to his brothers side, set Stephen's banner afloat on
+Windsor Castle and converted his bishop's residence into a fortress.
+Robert of Gloucester came with Maud's troops to besiege it. The garrison
+set fire to the surrounding houses to annoy the besiegers. While the
+town was burning, an army from London appeared, fiercely attacked the
+assailants, and forced them to take refuge in the churches. These were
+set on fire to drive out the fugitives. The affair ended in Robert of
+Gloucester being taken prisoner and his followers dispersed.
+
+Then once more the Saxon peasants swarmed from their huts like hornets
+from their hives and assailed the fugitives as they had before assailed
+those from Stephen's army. The proud Normans, whose language betrayed
+them in spite of their attempts at disguise, were robbed, stripped of
+their clothing, and driven along the roads by whips in the hands of
+Saxon serfs, who thus repaid themselves for many an act of wrong. The
+Bishop of Canterbury and other high prelates and numbers of great lords
+were thus maltreated, and for once were thoroughly humbled by those
+despised islanders whom their fathers had enslaved.
+
+Thus ended the second act in this drama of conquest and re-conquest.
+Maud, deprived of her brother, was helpless. She exchanged him for King
+Stephen, and the war broke out afresh. Stephen laid siege to Oxford, and
+pressed it so closely that once more Maud took to flight. It was
+midwinter. The ground was covered with snow. Dressing herself from head
+to foot in white, and accompanied by three knights similarly attired,
+she slipped out of a postern in the hope of being unseen against the
+whiteness of the snow-clad surface.
+
+Stephen's camp was asleep, its sentinels alone being astir. The scared
+fugitives glided on foot through the snow, passing close to the enemy's
+posts, the voices of the sentinels sounding in their ears. On foot they
+crossed the frozen Thames, gained horses on the opposite side, and
+galloped away in hasty flight.
+
+There is little more to say. Maud's cause was at an end. Not long
+afterwards her brother died, and she withdrew to Normandy, glad,
+doubtless, to be well out of that pestiferous island, but, mayhap,
+mourning that her arrogant folly had robbed her of a throne.
+
+A few years afterwards her son Henry took up her cause, and landed in
+England with an army. But the threatened hostilities ended in a truce,
+which provided that Henry should reign after Stephen's death. Stephen
+died a year afterwards, England gained an able monarch, and prosperity
+returned to the realm after fifteen years of the most frightful misery
+and misrule.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION._
+
+
+In the month of October, in the year of our Lord 1192, a pirate vessel
+touched land on the coast of Sclavonia, at the port of Yara. Those were
+days in which it was not easy to distinguish between pirates and true
+mariners, either in aspect or avocation, neither being afflicted with
+much inconvenient honesty, both being hungry for spoil. From this vessel
+were landed a number of passengers,--knights, chaplains, and
+servants,--Crusaders on their way home from the Holy Land, and in need,
+for their overland journey, of a safe-conduct from the lord of the
+province.
+
+He who seemed chief among the travellers sent a messenger to the ruler
+of Yara, to ask for this safe-conduct, and bearing a valuable ruby ring
+which he was commissioned to offer him as a present. The lord of Yara
+received this ring, which he gazed upon with eyes of doubt and
+curiosity. It was too valuable an offer for a small service, and he had
+surely heard of this particular ruby before.
+
+"Who are they that have sent thee to ask a free passage of me?" he asked
+the messenger.
+
+"Some pilgrims returning from Jerusalem," was the answer.
+
+"And by what names call you these pilgrims?"
+
+"One is called Baldwin de Bethune," rejoined the messenger. "The other,
+he who sends you this ring, is named Hugh the merchant."
+
+The ruler fixed his eyes again upon the ring, which he examined with
+close attention. He at length replied,--
+
+"You had better have told me the truth, for your ring reveals it. This
+man's name is not Hugh, but Richard, king of England. His gift is a
+royal one, and, since he wished to honor me with it without knowing me,
+I return it to him, and leave him free to depart. Should I do as duty
+bids, I would hold him prisoner."
+
+It was indeed Richard Coeur de Lion, on his way home from the Crusade
+which he had headed, and in which his arbitrary and imperious temper had
+made enemies of the rulers of France and Austria, who accompanied him.
+He had concluded with Saladin a truce of three years, three months,
+three days, and three hours, and then, disregarding his oath that he
+would not leave the Holy Land while he had a horse left to feed on, he
+set sail in haste for home. He had need to, for his brother John was
+intriguing to seize the throne.
+
+On his way home, finding that he must land and proceed part of the way
+overland, he dismissed all his suite but a few attendants, fearing to be
+recognized and detained. The single vessel which he now possessed was
+attacked by pirates, but the fight, singularly enough, ended in a truce,
+and was followed by so close a friendship between Richard and the
+pirate captain that he left his vessel for theirs, and was borne by them
+to Yara.
+
+The ruler of Yara was a relative of the marquis of Montferrat, whose
+death in Palestine had without warrant been imputed to Richard's
+influence. The king had, therefore, unwittingly revealed himself to an
+enemy and was in imminent danger of arrest. On receiving the message
+sent him he set out at once, not caring to linger in so doubtful a
+neighborhood. No attempt was made to stop him. The lord of Yara was in
+so far faithful to his word. But he had not promised to keep the king's
+secret, and at once sent a message to his brother, lord of a neighboring
+town, that King Richard of England was in the country, and would
+probably pass through his town.
+
+There was a chance that he might pass undiscovered; pilgrims from
+Palestine were numerous; Richard reached the town, where no one knew
+him, and obtained lodging with one of its householders as Hugh, a
+merchant from the East.
+
+As it happened, the lord of the town had in his service a Norman named
+Roger, formerly from Argenton. To him he sent, and asked him if he knew
+the king of England.
+
+"No; I never saw him," said Roger.
+
+"But you know his language--the Norman French, there may be some token
+by which you can recognize him; go seek him in the inns where pilgrims
+lodge, or elsewhere. He is a prize well worth taking. If you put him in
+my hands I will give you the government of half my domain."
+
+Roger set out upon his quest, and continued it for several days, first
+visiting the inns, and then going from house to house of the town,
+keenly inspecting every stranger. The king was really there, and at last
+was discovered by the eager searcher. Though in disguise, Roger
+suspected him. That mighty bulk, those muscular limbs, that imperious
+face, could belong to none but him who had swept through the Saracen
+hosts with a battle-axe which no other of the Crusaders could wield.
+Roger questioned him so closely that the king, after seeking to conceal
+his identity, was at length forced to reveal who he really was.
+
+"I am not your foe, but your friend," cried Roger, bursting into tears.
+"You are in imminent danger here, my liege, and must fly at once. My
+best horse is at your service. Make your escape, without delay, out of
+German territory."
+
+Waiting until he saw the king safely horsed, Roger returned to his
+master, and told him that the report was a false one. The only Crusader
+he had found in the town was Baldwin de Bethune, a Norman knight, on his
+way home from Palestine. The lord, furious at his disappointment, at
+once had Baldwin arrested and imprisoned. But Richard had escaped.
+
+The flying king hurried onward through the German lands, his only
+companions now being William de l'Etang, his intimate friend, and a
+valet who could speak the language of the country, and who served as
+their interpreter. For three days and three nights the travellers
+pursued their course, without food or shelter, not daring to stop or
+accost any of the inhabitants. At length they arrived at Vienna,
+completely worn out with hunger and fatigue.
+
+The fugitive king could have sought no more dangerous place of shelter.
+Vienna was the capital of Duke Leopold of Austria, whom Richard had
+mortally offended in Palestine, by tearing down his banner and planting
+the standard of England in its place. Yet all might have gone well but
+for the servant, who, while not a traitor, was as dangerous a thing, a
+fool. He was sent out from the inn to exchange the gold byzantines of
+the travellers for Austrian coin, and took occasion to make such a
+display of his money, and assume so dignified and courtier-like an air,
+that the citizens grew suspicious of him and took him before a
+magistrate to learn who he was. He declared that he was the servant of a
+rich merchant who was on his way to Vienna, and would be there in three
+days. This reply quieted the suspicions of the people, and, the foolish
+fellow was released.
+
+In great affright he hastened to the king, told him what had happened,
+and begged him to leave the town at once. The advice was good, but a
+three-days' journey without food or shelter called for some repose, and
+Richard decided to remain some days longer in the town, confident that,
+if they kept quiet, no further suspicion would arise.
+
+Meanwhile, the news of the incident at Yara had spread through the
+country and reached Vienna. Duke Leopold heard it with a double
+sentiment of enmity and avarice. Richard had insulted him; here was a
+chance for revenge; and the ransom of such a prisoner would enrich his
+treasury, then, presumably, none too full. Spies and men-at-arms were
+sent out in search of travellers who might answer to the description of
+the burly English monarch. For days they traversed the country, but no
+trace of him could be found. Leopold did not dream that his mortal foe
+was in his own city, comfortably lodged within a mile of his palace.
+
+Richard's servant, who had imperilled him before, now succeeded in
+finishing his work of folly. One day he appeared in the market to
+purchase provisions, foolishly bearing in his girdle a pair of richly
+embroidered gloves, such as only great lords wore when in court attire.
+The fellow was arrested again, and this time, suspicion being increased,
+was put to the torture. Very little of this sharp discipline sufficed
+him. He confessed whom he served, and told the magistrate at what inn
+King Richard might be found.
+
+Within an hour afterwards the inn was surrounded by soldiers of the
+duke, and Richard, taken by surprise, was forced to surrender. He was
+brought before the duke, who recognized him at a glance, accosted him
+with great show of courtesy, and with every display of respect ordered
+him to be taken to prison, where picked soldiers with drawn swords
+guarded him day and night.
+
+The news that King Richard was a prisoner in an Austrian fortress spread
+through Europe, and everywhere gave joy to the rulers of the various
+realms. Brave soldier as he was, he of the lion heart had succeeded in
+offending all his kingly comrades in the Crusade, and they rejoiced over
+his captivity as one might over the caging of a captured lion. The
+emperor called upon his vassal, Duke Leopold, to deliver the prisoner to
+him, saying that none but an emperor had the right to imprison a king.
+The duke assented, and the emperor, filled with glee, sent word of his
+good fortune to the king of France, who returned answer that the news
+was more agreeable to him than a present of gold or topaz. As for John,
+the brother of the imprisoned king, he made overtures for an alliance
+with Philip of France, redoubled his intrigues in England and Normandy,
+and secretly instigated the emperor to hold on firmly to his royal
+prize. All Europe seemed to be leagued against the unlucky king, who lay
+in bondage within the stern walls of a German prison.
+
+And now we feel tempted to leave awhile the domain of sober history, and
+enter that of romance, which tells one of its prettiest stories about
+King Richard's captivity. The story goes that the people of England knew
+not what had become of their king. That he was held in durance vile
+somewhere in Germany they had been told, but Germany was a broad land
+and had many prisons, and none knew which held the lion-hearted king.
+Before he could be rescued he must be found, and how should this be
+done?
+
+Those were the days of the troubadours, who sang their lively lays not
+only in Provence but in other lands. Richard himself composed lays and
+sang them to the harp, and Blondel, a troubadour of renown, was his
+favorite minstrel, accompanying him wherever he went. This faithful
+singer mourned bitterly the captivity of his king, and at length, bent
+on finding him, went wandering through foreign lands, singing under the
+walls of fortresses and prisons a lay which Richard well knew. Many
+weary days he wandered without response, almost without hope; yet still
+faithful Blondel roamed on, heedless of the palaces of the land, seeking
+only its prisons and strongholds.
+
+At length arrived a day in which, from a fortress window above his head,
+came an echo of the strain he had just sung. He listened in ecstasy.
+Those were Norman words; that was a well-known voice; it could be but
+the captive king.
+
+"O Richard! O my king!" sang the minstrel again, in a song of his own
+devising.
+
+From above came again the sound of familiar song. Filled with joy, the
+faithful minstrel sought England's shores, told the nobles where the
+king could be found, and made strenuous exertions to obtain his ransom,
+efforts which were at length crowned with success.
+
+Through the alluring avenues of romance the voice of Blondel still comes
+to us, singing his signal lay of "O Richard! O my king!" but history has
+made no record of the pretty tale, and back to history we must turn.
+
+The imprisoned king was placed on trial before the German Diet at Worms,
+charged with--no one knows what. Whatever the charge, the sentence was
+that he should pay a ransom of one hundred thousand pounds of silver,
+and acknowledge himself a vassal of the emperor. The latter, a mere
+formality, was gone through with as much pomp and ceremony as though it
+was likely to have any binding force upon English kings. The former, the
+raising of the money, was more difficult. Two years passed, and still it
+was not all paid. The royal prisoner, weary of his long captivity,
+complained bitterly of the neglect of his people and friends, singing
+his woes in a song composed in the polished dialect of Provence, the
+land of the troubadours.
+
+"There is no man, however base, whom for want of money I would let lie
+in a prison cell," he sang. "I do not say it as a reproach, but I am
+still a prisoner."
+
+A part of the ransom at length reached Germany, whose emperor sent a
+third of it to the duke of Austria as his share of the prize, and
+consented to the liberation of his captive in the third week after
+Christmas if he would leave hostages to guarantee the remaining
+payment.
+
+Richard agreed to everything, glad to escape from prison on any terms.
+But the news of this agreement spread until it reached the ears of
+Philip of France and his ally, John. Dread filled their hearts at the
+tidings. Their plans for seizing on England and Normandy were not yet
+complete. In great haste Philip sent messengers to the emperor, offering
+him seventy thousand marks of silver if he would hold his prisoner for
+one year longer, or, if he preferred, a thousand pounds of silver for
+each month of captivity. If he would give the prisoner into the custody
+of Philip and his ally, they would pay a hundred and fifty thousand
+marks for the prize.
+
+The offer was a tempting one. It dazzled the mind of the emperor, whose
+ideas of honor were not very deeply planted. But the members of the Diet
+would not suffer him to break his faith. Their power was great, even
+over the emperor's will, and the royal prisoner, after his many weary
+months of captivity, was set free.
+
+Word of the failure of his plans came quickly to Philip's knavish ears,
+and he wrote in haste to his confederate, "the devil is loose; take care
+of yourself," an admonition which John was quite likely to obey. His
+hope of seizing the crown vanished. There remained to meet his placable
+brother with a show of fraternal loyalty.
+
+But Richard was delayed in his purpose of reaching England, and danger
+again threatened him. He had been set free near the end of January,
+1194. He dared not enter France, and Normandy, then invaded by the
+French, was not safe for him. His best course was to take ship at a
+German port and sail for England. But it was the season of storms; he
+lay a month at Anvers imprecating the weather; meanwhile, avarice
+overcame both fear and honor in the emperor's heart, the large sum
+offered him outweighed the opposition of the lords of the Diet, and he
+resolved to seize the prisoner again and profit by the French king's
+golden bribe.
+
+Fortunately for Richard, the perfidious emperor allowed the secret of
+his design to get adrift; one of the hostages left in his hands heard of
+it and found means to warn the king. Richard, at this tidings, stayed
+not for storm, but at once took passage in the galliot of a Norman
+trader named Alain Franchemer, narrowly escaping the men-at-arms sent to
+take him prisoner. Not many days afterwards he landed at the English
+port of Sandwich, once more a free man and a king.
+
+What followed in Richard's life we design not to tell, other than the
+story of his life's ending with its romantic incidents. The liberated
+king had not been long on his native soil before he succeeded in
+securing Normandy against the invading French, building on its borders a
+powerful fortress, which he called his "Saucy Castle," and the ruins of
+whose sturdy walls still remain. Philip was wrathful when he saw its
+ramparts growing.
+
+"I will take it were its walls of iron," he declared.
+
+"I would hold it were the walls of butter," Richard defiantly replied.
+
+It was church land, and the archbishop placed Normandy under an
+interdict. Richard laughed at his wrath, and persuaded the pope to
+withdraw the curse. A "rain of blood" fell, which scared his courtiers,
+but Richard laughed at it as he had at the bishop's wrath.
+
+"Had an angel from heaven bid him abandon his work, he would have
+answered with a curse," says one writer.
+
+"How pretty a child is mine, this child of but a year old!" said
+Richard, gladly, as he saw the walls proudly rise.
+
+[Illustration: STATUE OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION.]
+
+He needed money to finish it. His kingdom had been drained to pay his
+ransom. But a rumor reached him that a treasure had been found at
+Limousin,--twelve knights of gold seated round a golden table, said the
+story. Richard claimed it. The lord of Limoges refused to surrender it.
+Richard assailed his castle. It was stubbornly defended. In savage wrath
+he swore he would hang every soul within its walls.
+
+There was an old song which said that an arrow would be made in Limoges
+by which King Richard would die. The song proved a true prediction. One
+night, as the king surveyed the walls, a young soldier, Bertrand de
+Gourdon by name, drew an arrow to its head, and saying, "Now I pray God
+speed thee well!" let fly.
+
+The shaft struck the king in the left shoulder. The wound might have
+been healed, but unskilful treatment made it mortal. The castle was
+taken while Richard lay dying, and every soul in it hanged, as the king
+had sworn, except Bertrand de Gourdon. He was brought into the king's
+tent, heavily chained.
+
+"Knave!" cried Richard, "what have I done to you that you should take my
+life?"
+
+"You have killed my father and my two brothers," answered the youth.
+"You would have hanged me. Let me die now, by any torture you will. My
+comfort is that no torture to me can save _you_. You, too, must die; and
+through me the world is quit of you."
+
+The king looked at him steadily, and with a gleam of clemency in his
+eyes.
+
+"Youth," he said, "I forgive you. Go unhurt."
+
+Then turning to his chief captain, he said,--
+
+"Take off his chains, give him a hundred shillings, and let him depart."
+
+He fell back on his couch, and in a few minutes was dead, having
+signalized his last moments with an act of clemency which had had few
+counterparts in his life. His clemency was not matched by his piety. The
+priests who were present at his dying bed exhorted him to repentance and
+restitution, but he drove them away with bitter mockery, and died as
+hardened a sinner as he had lived. It should, however, be said that this
+statement of the character of Richard's death, given by the historian
+Green, does not accord with that of Lingard, who says that Richard sent
+for his confessor and received the sacraments with sentiments of
+compunction.
+
+As for Bertrand, the chronicles say that he failed to profit by the
+kindness of the king. A dead monarch's voice has no weight in the land.
+The pardoned youth was put to death.
+
+
+
+
+_ROBIN HOOD AND THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE._
+
+
+"Where will the old duke live?" asks Oliver, in Shakespeare's "As you
+like it."
+
+"They say he is already in the forest of Arden," answers Charles, "and a
+many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of
+England, and fleet the time carelessly as they did in the golden world."
+
+Many a merry man, indeed, was there with Robin Hood in Sherwood forest,
+and, if we may believe the stories that live in the heart of English
+song, there they fleeted the time as carelessly as men did in the golden
+age; for Robin was king of the merry greenwood, as the Norman kings were
+lords of the realm beside, and though his state was not so great nor his
+coffers so full, his heart was merrier and his conscience more void of
+offence against man and God. If Robin lived by plunder, so did the king;
+the one took toll from a few travellers, the other from a kingdom; the
+one dealt hard blows in self-defence, the other killed thousands in war
+for self-aggrandizement; the one was a patriot, the other an invader.
+Verily Robin was far the honester man of the two, and most worthy the
+admiration of mankind.
+
+Nor was the kingdom of Robin Hood so much less extensive than that of
+England's king as men may deem, though its tenants were fewer and its
+revenues less. For in those days forest land spread widely over the
+English isle. The Norman kings had driven out the old inhabitants far
+and wide, and planted forests in place of towns, peopling them with deer
+in place of men. In its way this was merciful, perhaps. Those rude old
+kings were not content unless they were hunting and killing, and it was
+better they should kill deer than men. But their cruel game-laws could
+not keep men from the forests, and the woods they planted served as
+places of shelter for the outlaws they made.
+
+William the Conqueror, so we are told, had no less than sixty-eight
+forests peopled with deer, and guarded against intrusion of common man
+by a cruel interdict. His successors added new forests, until it looked
+as if England might be made all woodland, and the red deer its chief
+inhabitants. Sherwood forest, the favorite lurking-place of the bold
+Robin, stretched for thirty miles in an unbroken line. But this was only
+part of Robin's "realm of plesaunce." From Sherwood it was but a step to
+other forests, stretching league after league, and peopled by bands of
+merry rovers, who laughed at the king's laws, killed and ate his
+cherished deer at their own sweet wills, and defied sheriff and
+man-at-arms, the dense forest depths affording them innumerable
+lurking-places, their skill with the bow enabling them to defend their
+domain from assault, and to exact tribute from their foes.
+
+Such was the realm of Robin Hood, a realm of giant oaks and silvery
+birches, a realm prodigal of trees, o'ercanopied with green leaves until
+the sun had ado to send his rays downward, carpeted with brown moss and
+emerald grasses, thicketed with a rich undergrowth of bryony and
+clematis, prickly holly and golden furze, and a host of minor shrubs,
+while some parts of the forest were so dense that, as Camden says, the
+entangled branches of the thickly-set trees "were so twisted together,
+that they hardly left room for a person to pass."
+
+Here were innumerable hiding-places for the forest outlaws when hunted
+too closely by their foes. They lacked not food; the forest was filled
+with grazing deer and antlered stags. There was also abundance of
+smaller game,--the hare, the coney, the roe; and of birds,--the
+partridge, pheasant, woodcock, mallard, and heron. Fuel could be had in
+profusion when fire was needed. For winter shelter there were many
+caverns, for Sherwood forest is remarkable for its number of such places
+of refuge, some made by nature, others excavated by man.
+
+Happy must have been the life in this greenwood realm, jolly the outlaws
+who danced and sang beneath its shades, merry as the day was long their
+hearts while summer ruled the year, while even in drear winter they had
+their caverns of refuge, their roaring wood-fires, and the spoils of the
+year's forays to carry them through the season of cold and storm. A
+follower of bold Robin might truly sing, with Shakespeare,--
+
+      "Under the greenwood tree,
+      Who loves to lie with me,
+      And tune his merry note
+      Unto the sweet bird's throat,
+  Come hither, come hither, come hither:
+          Here shall he see
+          No enemy,
+  But winter and rough weather."
+
+But the life of the forest-dwellers was not spent solely in enjoyment of
+the pleasures of the merry greenwood. They were hunted by men, and
+became hunters of men. True English hearts theirs, all Englishmen their
+friends, all Normans their foes, they were in no sense brigands, but
+defenders of their soil against the foreign foe who had overrun it, the
+successors of Hereward the Wake, the last of the English to bear arms
+against the invader, and to keep a shelter in which the English heart
+might still beat in freedom.
+
+No wonder the oppressed peasants and serfs of the fields sang in gleeful
+strains the deeds of the forest-dwellers; no wonder that Robin Hood
+became the hero of the people, and that the homely song of the land was
+full of stories of his deeds. We can scarcely call these historical
+tales: they are legendary; yet it may well be that a stratum of fact
+underlies the aftergrowth of romance; certainly they were history to
+the people, and as such, with a mental reservation, they shall be
+history to us. We propose, therefore, here to convert into prose "a
+lytell geste of Robyn Hode."
+
+It was a day in merry spring-tide. Under the sun-sprinkled shadows of
+the "woody and famous forest of Barnsdale" (adjoining Sherwood) stood
+gathered a group of men attired in Lincoln green, bearing long bows in
+their hands and quivers of sharp-pointed arrows upon their shoulders,
+hardy men all, strong of limb and bold of face.
+
+[Illustration: ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS.]
+
+Leaning against an oak of centuried growth stood Robin Hood, the famous
+outlaw chief, a strong man and sturdy, with handsome face and merry blue
+eyes, one fitted to dance cheerily in days of festival, and to strike
+valiantly in hours of conflict. Beside him stood the tall and stalwart
+form of Little John, whose name was given him in jest, for he was the
+stoutest of the band. There also were valiant Much, the miller's son,
+gallant Scathelock, George a Green, the pindar of Wakefield, the fat and
+jolly Friar Tuck, and many another woodsman of renown, a band of lusty
+archers such as all England could not elsewhere match.
+
+"Faith o' my body, the hours pass apace," quoth Little John, looking
+upward through the trees. "Is it not time we should dine?"
+
+"I am not in the mood to dine without company," said Robin. "Our table
+is a dull one without guests. If we had now some bold baron or fat
+abbot, or even a knight or squire, to help us carve our haunch of
+venison, and to pay his scot for the feast, I wot me all our appetites
+would be better."
+
+He laughed meaningly as he looked round the circle of faces.
+
+"Marry, if such be your whim," answered Little John, "tell us whither we
+shall go to find a guest fit to grace our greenwood table, and of what
+rank he shall be."
+
+"At least let him not be farmer or yeoman," said Robin. "We war on
+hawks, not on doves. If you can bring me a bishop now, or i' faith, the
+high-sheriff of Nottingham, we shall dine merrily. Take Much and
+Scathelock with you, and away. Bring me earl or baron, abbot or simple
+knight, or squire, if no better can be had; the fatter their purses the
+better shall be their welcome."
+
+Taking their bows, the three yeomen strode at a brisk pace through the
+forest, bent upon other game than deer or antlered stag. On reaching the
+forest edge near Barnsdale, they lurked in the bushy shadows and kept
+close watch and ward upon the highway that there skirted the wood, in
+hope of finding a rich relish to Robin's meal.
+
+Propitious fortune seemed to aid their quest. Not long had they bided in
+ambush when, afar on the road, they spied a knight riding towards them.
+He came alone, without squire or follower, and promised to be an easy
+prey to the trio of stout woodsmen. But as he came near they saw that
+something was amiss with him. He rode with one foot in the stirrup, the
+other hanging loose; a simple hood covered his head, and hung
+negligently down over his eyes; grief or despair filled his visage, "a
+soryer man than he rode never in somer's day."
+
+Little John stepped into the road, courteously bent his knee to the
+stranger, and bade him welcome to the greenwood.
+
+"Welcome be you, gentle knight," he said; "my master has awaited you
+fasting, these three hours."
+
+"Your master--who is he?" asked the knight, lifting his sad eyes.
+
+"Robin Hood, the forest chief," answered Little John.
+
+"And a lusty yeoman he," said the knight. "Men say much good of him. I
+thought to dine to-day at Blythe or Dankaster, but if jolly Robin wants
+me I am his man. It matters little, save that I have no heart to do
+justice to any man's good cheer. Lead on, my courteous friend. The
+greenwood, then, shall be my dining-hall."
+
+Our scene now changes to the lodge of the woodland chief. An hour had
+passed. A merry scene met the eye. The long table was well covered with
+game of the choicest, swan, pheasants, and river fowl, and with roasts
+and steaks of venison, which had been on hoof not many hours before.
+Around it sat a jolly company of foresters, green-clad like the trees
+about them. At its head sat Robin Hood, his handsome face lending
+encouragement to the laughter and gleeful chat of his men. Beside him
+sat the knight, sober of attire, gloomy of face, yet brightening under
+the courteous treatment of his host and the gay sallies of the outlaw
+band.
+
+"Gramercy, Sir Woodman," said the knight, when the feast was at an end,
+"such a dinner as you have set me I have not tasted for weeks. When I
+come again to this country I hope to repay you with as good a one."
+
+"A truce to your dinner," said Robin, curtly. "All that dine in our
+woodland inn pay on the spot, Sir Knight. It is a good rule, I wot."
+
+"To full hands, mayhap," said the knight; "but I dare not, for very
+shame, proffer you what is in my coffers."
+
+"Is it so little, then?"
+
+"Ten shillings is not wealth," said the knight. "I can offer you no
+more."
+
+"Faith, if that be all, keep it, in God's name; and I'll lend you more,
+if you be in need. Go look, Little John; we take no stranger's word in
+the greenwood."
+
+John examined the knight's effects, and reported that he had told the
+truth. Robin gazed curiously at his guest.
+
+"I held you for a knight of high estate," he said. "A heedless
+husbandman you must have been, a gambler or wassailer, to have brought
+yourself to this sorry pass. An empty pocket and threadbare attire ill
+befit a knight of your parts."
+
+"You wrong me, Robin," said the knight, sadly. "Misfortune, not sin, has
+beggared me. I have nothing left but my children and my wife; but it is
+through no deed of my own. My son--my heir he should have been--slew a
+knight of Lancashire and his squire. To save him from the law I have
+made myself a beggar. Even my lands and house must go, for I have
+pledged them to the abbot of St. Mary as surety for four hundred pounds
+loaned me. I cannot pay him, and the time is near its end. I have lost
+hope, good sir, and am on my way to the sea, to take ship for the Holy
+Land. Pardon my tears, I leave a wife and children."
+
+"Where are your friends?" asked Robin.
+
+"Where are the last year's leaves of your trees?" asked the knight.
+"They were fair enough while the summer sun shone; they dropped from me
+when the winter of trouble came."
+
+"Can you not borrow the sum?" asked Robin. "Not a groat," answered the
+knight. "I have no more credit than a beggar."
+
+"Mayhap not with the usurers," said Robin. "But the greenwood is not
+quite bare, and your face, Sir Knight, is your pledge of faith. Go to my
+treasury, Little John, and see if it will not yield four hundred
+pounds."
+
+"I can promise you that, and more if need be," answered the woodman.
+"But our worthy knight is poorly clad, and we have rich cloths to spare,
+I wot. Shall we not add a livery to his purse?"
+
+"As you will, good fellow, and forget not a horse, for our guest's mount
+is of the sorriest."
+
+The knight's sorrow gave way to hope as he saw the eagerness, of the
+generous woodmen. Little John's count of the money added ample
+interest; the cloths were measured with a bow-stick for a yard, and a
+palfrey was added to the courser, to bear their welcome gifts. In the
+end Robin lent him Little John for a squire, and gave him twelve months
+in which to repay his loan. Away he went, no longer a knight of rueful
+countenance.
+
+  "Nowe as the knight went on his way,
+    This game he thought full good,
+  When he looked on Bernysdale
+    He blyssed Robin Hode;
+
+  "And when he thought on Bernysdale,
+    On Scathelock, Much, and John,
+  He blyssed them for the best company
+    That ever he in come."
+
+The next day was that fixed for the payment of the loan to the abbot of
+St. Mary's. Abbot and prior waited in hope and excitement. If the cash
+was not paid by night a rich estate would fall into their hands. The
+knight must pay to the last farthing, or be beggared. As they sat
+awaiting the cellarer burst in upon them, full of exultation.
+
+"He is dead or hanged!" he cried. "We shall have our four hundred pounds
+many times over."
+
+With them were the high-justice of England and the sheriff of the shire,
+brought there to give the proceeding the warrant of legality. Time was
+passing, an hour or two more would end the knight's grace, only a narrow
+space of time lay between him and beggary. The justice had just turned
+with congratulations to the abbot, when, to the discomfiture of the
+churchmen, the debtor, Sir Richard of the Lee, appeared at the gate of
+the abbey, and made his way into the hall.
+
+Yet he was shabbily clad; his face was sombre; there seemed little
+occasion for alarm. There seemed none when he began to speak.
+
+"Sir Abbot," he said, "I come to hold my day."
+
+"Hast thou brought my pay?" asked the abbot.
+
+"Not one penny," answered the knight.
+
+"Thou art a shrewd debtor," declared the abbot, with a look of
+satisfaction. "Sir Justice, drink to me. What brings you here then,
+sirrah, if you fetch no money?"
+
+"To pray your grace for a longer day," said Sir Richard, humbly.
+
+"Your day is ended; not an hour more do you get," cried the abbot.
+
+Sir Richard now appealed to the justice for relief, and after him to the
+sheriff, but to both in vain. Then, turning to the abbot again, he
+offered to be his servant, and work for him till the four hundred pounds
+were earned, if he would take pity on him.
+
+This appeal was lost on the merciless churchman. In the end hot words
+passed, and the abbot angrily exclaimed,--
+
+"Out of my hall, thou false knight! Speed thee out, sirrah!"
+
+"Abbot, thou liest, I was never false to my word," said Sir Richard,
+proudly. "You lack courtesy, to suffer a knight to kneel and beg so
+long. I am a true knight and a true man, as all who have seen me in
+tournament or battle will say."
+
+"What more will you give the knight for a full release?" asked the
+justice. "If you give nothing, you will never hold his lands in peace."
+
+"A hundred pounds," said the abbot.
+
+"Give him two," said the justice.
+
+"Not so," cried the knight. "If you make it a thousand more, not a foot
+of my land shall you ever hold. You have outwitted yourself, master
+abbot, by your greed."
+
+Sir Richard's humility was gone; his voice was clear and proud; the
+churchmen trembled, here was a new tone. Turning to a table, the knight
+took a bag from under his cloak, and shook out of it on to the board a
+ringing heap of gold.
+
+"Here is the gold you lent me, Sir Abbot," he cried. "Count it. You will
+find it four hundred pounds to the penny. Had you been courteous, I
+would have been generous. As it is, I pay not a penny over my due."
+
+
+  "The abbot sat styll, and ete no more
+    For all his ryall chere;
+  He cast his head on his sholder,
+    And fast began to stare."
+
+
+So ended this affair, the abbot in despair, the knight in triumph, the
+justice laughing at his late friends and curtly refusing to return the
+cash they had paid to bring him there. His money counted, his release
+signed, the knight was a glad man again.
+
+
+  "The knight stert out of the dore,
+    Awaye was all his care,
+  And on he put his good clothynge,
+    The other he lefte there.
+
+  "He wente hym forthe full mery syngynge,
+    As men have tolde in tale,
+  His lady met hym at the gate,
+    At home in Wierysdale.
+
+  "'Welcome, my lorde,' sayd his lady;
+    'Syr, lost is all your good?'
+  'Be mery dame,' said the knight,
+    'And pray for Robyn Hode,
+
+  "That ever his soule be in blysse,
+    He holpe me out of my tene;
+  Ne had not be his kyndenesse,
+    Beggers had we ben.'"
+
+
+The story wanders on, through pages of verse like the above, but we may
+fitly end it with a page of prose. The old singers are somewhat prolix;
+it behooves us to be brief.
+
+A twelvemonth passed. The day fixed by the knight to repay his friend of
+the merry greenwood came. On that day the highway skirting the forest
+was made brilliant by a grand array of ecclesiastics and their
+retainers, at their head no less a personage than the fat cellarer of
+St. Mary's.
+
+Unluckily for them, the outlaws were out that day, on the lookout for
+game of this description, and the whole pious procession was swept up
+and taken to Robin Hood's greenwood court. The merry fellow looked at
+his new guests with a smile. The knight had given the Virgin as his
+security,--surely the Virgin had taken him at his word, and sent these
+holy men to repay her debt.
+
+In vain the high cellarer denied that he represented any such exalted
+personage. He even lied as to the state of his coffers. It was a lie
+wasted, for Little John served him as he had the knight, and found a
+good eight hundred pounds in the monk's baggage.
+
+"Fill him with wine of the best!" cried Robin. "Our Lady is a generous
+debtor. She pays double. Fill him with wine and let him go. He has paid
+well for his dinner."
+
+Hardly had the monk and his train gone, in dole and grief, before
+another and merrier train was seen winding under the great oaks of the
+forest. It was the knight on his way to pay his debt. After him rode a
+hundred men clad in white and red, and bearing as a present to the
+delighted foresters a hundred bows of the finest quality, each with its
+sheaf of arrows, with burnished points, peacock feathers, and notched
+with silver. Each shaft was an ell long.
+
+The knight begged pardon. He had been delayed. On his way he had met a
+poor yeoman who was being ill-treated. He had stayed to rescue him. The
+sun was down; the hour passed; but he bore his full due to the generous
+lords of the greenwood.
+
+"You come too late," said Robin. "The Virgin, your surety, has been
+before you and paid your debt. The holy monks of St. Mary, her
+almoners, have brought it. They paid well, indeed; they paid double.
+Four hundred is my due, the other four hundred is yours. Take it, my
+good friend, our Lady sends it, and dwell henceforth in a state
+befitting your knightly station."
+
+Once more the good knight, Sir Richard of the Lee, dined with Robin
+Hood, and merry went the feast that day under the greenwood tree. The
+leaves of Sherwood still laugh with the mirth that then shook their
+bowery arches. Robin Hood dwells there no more, but the memory of the
+mighty archer and his merry men still haunts the woodland glades, and
+will while a lover of romance dwells in England's island realm.
+
+
+
+
+_WALLACE, THE HERO OF SCOTLAND._
+
+
+On a summer's day, many centuries ago, a young gentleman of Scotland was
+fishing in the river Irvine, near Ayr, attended by a boy who carried his
+fishing-basket. The young man was handsome of face, tall of figure, and
+strongly built, while his skill as an angler was attested by the number
+of trout which lay in the boy's basket. While he was thus engaged
+several English soldiers, from the garrison of Ayr, came up to the
+angler, and with the insolence with which these invaders were then in
+the habit of treating the Scotch, insisted on taking the basket and its
+contents from the boy.
+
+"You ask too much," said Wallace, quietly. "You are welcome to a part of
+the fish, but you cannot have them all."
+
+"That we will," answered the soldiers.
+
+"That you will not," retorted the youth. "I have other business than to
+play fisherman for your benefit."
+
+The soldiers insisted, and attempted to take the basket. The angler came
+to the aid of his attendant. Words were followed by blows. The soldiers
+laid hands on their weapons. The youth had no weapon but his
+fishing-rod. But with the butt end of this he struck the foremost
+Englishman so hard a blow under his ear that he stretched him dead upon
+the ground. Seizing the man's sword, which had fallen from his hand, he
+attacked the others with such skill and fury that they were put to
+flight, and the bold angler was enabled to take his fish safely home.
+
+The name of the courageous youth was William Wallace. He was the son of
+a private gentleman, called Wallace of Ellerslie, who had brought up his
+boy to the handling of warlike weapons, until he had grown an adept in
+their use; and also to a hatred of the English, which was redoubled by
+the insolence of the soldiers with whom Edward I. of England had
+garrisoned the country. Like all high-spirited Scotchmen, the young man
+viewed with indignation the conduct of the conquerors of his country,
+and expressed the intensity of his feeling in the tragical manner above
+described.
+
+Wallace's life was in imminent danger from his exploit. The affair was
+reported to the English governor of Ayr, who sought him diligently, and
+would have put him to death had he been captured. But he took to the
+hills and woods, and lay concealed in their recesses until the deed was
+forgotten, being supplied by his friends with the necessaries of life.
+As it was not safe to return to Ayr after his period of seclusion, he
+made his way to another part of the country, where his bitter hostility
+to the English soon led him into other encounters with them, in which
+his strength, skill, and courage usually brought him off victorious. So
+many were the affairs in which he was engaged, and so great his daring
+and success, that the people began to talk of him as the champion of
+Scotland, while the English grew to fear this indomitable young
+swordsman.
+
+At length came an adventure which brought matters to a crisis. Young
+Wallace had married a lady of Lanark, and had taken up his residence in
+that town with his wife. The place had an English garrison, and one day,
+as Wallace walked in the market-place in a rich green dress, with a
+handsome dagger by his side, an Englishman accosted him insultingly,
+saying that no Scotchman had the right to wear such finery or to carry
+so showy a weapon.
+
+He had tried his insolence on the wrong man. A quarrel quickly followed,
+and, as on similar occasions before, Wallace killed the Englishman. It
+was an unwise act, inspired by his hasty temper and fiery indignation.
+His peril was great. He hastened to his house, which was quickly
+attacked by soldiers of the garrison. While they were seeking to break
+in at the front, Wallace escaped at the rear, and made his way to a
+rocky glen, called the Cortland-crags, near the town, where he found a
+secure hiding-place among its thick-growing trees and bushes.
+
+Meanwhile, the governor of Lanark, Hazelrigg by name, finding that the
+culprit had escaped, set fire to his house, and with uncalled-for
+cruelty put his wife and servants to death. He also proclaimed Wallace
+an outlaw, and offered a reward for any one who should bring him in,
+dead or alive. He and many of his countrymen were destined to pay the
+penalty of this cruel deed before Wallace should fall into English
+hands.
+
+The murder of his wife set fire to the intense patriotism in Wallace's
+soul. He determined to devote his life to acts of reprisal against the
+enemy, and if possible to rescue his country from English hands. He soon
+had under his command a body of daring partisans, some of them outlaws
+like himself, others quite willing to become such for the good of
+Scotland. The hills and forests of the country afforded them numerous
+secure hiding-places, whence they could issue in raids upon the insolent
+foe.
+
+From that time forward Wallace gave the English no end of trouble. One
+of his first expeditions was against Hazelrigg, to whom he owed so
+bitter a debt of vengeance. The cruel governor was killed, and the
+murdered woman avenged. Other expeditions were attempted, and collisions
+with the soldiers sent against him became so frequent and the partisan
+band so successful, that Wallace quickly grew famous, and the number of
+his followers rapidly increased. In time, from being a band of outlaws,
+his party grew to the dimensions of a small army, and in place of
+contenting himself with local reprisals on the English, he cherished the
+design of striking for the independence of his country.
+
+The most notable adventure which followed this increase of Wallace's
+band is one the story of which may be in part legendary, but which is
+significant of the cruelty of warfare in those thirteenth-century days.
+It is remembered among the Scottish people under the name of the "Barns
+of Ayr."
+
+The English governor of Ayr is said to have sent a general invitation to
+the nobility and gentry of that section of Scotland to meet him in
+friendly conference on national affairs. The place fixed for the meeting
+was in certain large buildings called the barns of Ayr. The true purpose
+of the governor was a murderous one. He proposed to rid himself of many
+of those who were giving him trouble by the effective method of the
+rope. Halters with running nooses had been prepared, and hung upon the
+beams which supported the roof. The Scotch visitors were admitted two at
+a time, and as they entered the nooses were thrown over their heads, and
+they drawn up and hanged. Among those thus slain was Sir Reginald
+Crawford, sheriff of the county of Ayr, and uncle to William Wallace.
+
+This story it is not easy to believe, in the exact shape in which it is
+given, since it is unlikely that the Scottish nobles were such fools as
+it presupposes; but that it is founded on some tragical fact is highly
+probable. The same is the case with the story of Wallace's retribution
+for this crime. When the news of it came to his ears he is said to have
+been greatly incensed, and to have determined on an adequate revenge. He
+collected his men in a wood near. Ayr, and sent out spies to learn the
+state of affairs. The English had followed their crime with a period of
+carousing, and, having eaten and drunk all they wished, had lain down to
+sleep in the barns in which the Scotch gentry had been murdered. Not
+dreaming that a foe was so near, they had set no guards, and thus left
+themselves open to the work of revenge.
+
+This news being brought to Wallace, he directed a woman, who was
+familiar with the locality, to mark with chalk the doors of the
+buildings where the Englishmen lay. Then, slipping up to the borders of
+Ayr, he sent a party with ropes, bidding them to fasten securely all the
+marked doors. This done, others heaped straw on the outside of the
+buildings and set it on fire. The buildings, being constructed of wood,
+were quickly in a flame, the English waking from their drunken slumbers
+to find themselves environed with fire.
+
+Their fate was decided. Every entrance to the buildings had been
+secured. Such as did succeed in getting out were driven back into the
+flames, or killed on the spot. The whole party perished miserably, not
+one escaping. In addition to the English thus disposed of, there were a
+number lodged in a convent. These were attacked by the prior and the
+monks, who had armed themselves with swords, and fiercely assailed their
+guests, few of them escaped. The latter event is known as "The Friar of
+Ayr's Blessing."
+
+Such is the story of a crime and its retribution. To say that it is
+legendary is equivalent to saying that it is not true in all its
+particulars; but that it is founded on fact its common acceptance by the
+people of that country seems evidence.
+
+So far the acts of Wallace and his men had been of minor importance. But
+now his party of followers grew into an army, many of the Scottish
+nobles joining him. Prominent among these was Sir William Douglas, the
+head of the most famous family in Scottish history. Another was Sir John
+Grahame, who became the chief friend and confident of the champion of
+the rights of Scotland.
+
+This rebellious activity on the part of the Scotch had not been viewed
+with indifference by the English. The raids of Wallace and his band of
+outlaws they had left the local garrisons to deal with. But here was an
+army, suddenly sprung into existence, and needing to be handled in a
+different manner. An English army, under the command of John de Warenne,
+the Earl of Surrey, marched towards Wallace's camp, with the purpose of
+putting a summary end to this incipient effort at independence.
+
+The approach of Warenne weakened Wallace's army, since many of the
+nobles deserted his ranks, under the fear that he could not withstand
+the greatly superior English force. Yet, in spite of these defections,
+he held his ground. He still had a considerable force under his command,
+and took position near the town of Stirling, on the south side of the
+river Forth, where he awaited the approaching English army. The river
+was at this point crossed by a long wooden bridge.
+
+The English host reached the southern bank of the river. Its commander,
+thinking that he might end the matter in a peaceful way, sent two
+clergy-men to Wallace, offering a pardon to him and his followers if
+they would lay down their arms.
+
+"Go back to Warenne," was the reply of Wallace, "and tell him we value
+not the pardon of the king of England. We are not here for the purpose
+of treating of peace, but of abiding battle, and restoring freedom to
+our country. Let the English come on; we defy them to their very
+beards!"
+
+[Illustration: THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING.]
+
+Despite the disparity in numbers, Wallace had some warrant for his tone
+of confidence. The English could not reach him except over the long and
+narrow bridge, and stood the chance of having their vanguard destroyed
+before the remainder could come to their aid.
+
+Such proved to be the case. The English, after some hesitation,
+attempted the passage of the bridge. Wallace held off until about half
+the army had crossed and the bridge was thickly crowded with others.
+Then he charged upon them with his whole force, and with such
+impetuosity that they were thrown into confusion, and soon put to rout,
+a large number being slain and the remainder driven into the Forth,
+where the greater part of them were drowned. The portion of the English
+army which had not crossed became infected with the panic of their
+fellows, and fled in all haste, first setting fire to the bridge to
+prevent pursuit.
+
+This signal victory had the most encouraging influence on the people of
+Scotland. The defeated army fled in all haste from the country, and
+those of the Scotch who had hitherto remained in doubt now took arms,
+and assailed the castles still held by the English. Many of these were
+taken, and numerous gallant deeds done, of which Wallace is credited
+with his full share. How much exaggeration there may be in the stories
+told it is not easy to say, but it seems certain that the English
+suffered several defeats, lost most of the towns and castles they had
+held, and were driven almost entirely from the country. Wallace, indeed,
+led his army into England, and laid waste Cumberland and Northumberland,
+where many cruelties were committed, the Scottish soldiers being
+irrepressible in their thirst for revenge on those who had so long
+oppressed their country.
+
+While these events were going on Edward I. was in Flanders. He had
+deemed Scotland thoroughly subjugated, and learned with surprise and
+fury that the Scottish had risen against him, defeated his armies, set
+free their country, and even invaded England. He hurried back from
+Flanders in a rage, determined to bring this rebellion to a short and
+decisive termination.
+
+Collecting a large army, Edward invaded Scotland. His opponent,
+meanwhile, had been made protector, or governor, of Scotland, with the
+title of Sir William Wallace. Yet he had risen so rapidly from a
+private station to this great position that there was much jealousy of
+him on the part of the great nobles, and their lack of support of the
+best soldier and bravest man of their nation was the main cause of his
+downfall and the subsequent disasters to their country.
+
+Wallace, despite their defection, had assembled a considerable army. But
+it was not so strong as that of Edward, who had, besides, a large body
+of the celebrated archers of England, each of whom carried, so it was
+claimed, twelve Scotchmen's lives in his girdle,--in his twelve
+cloth-yard arrows.
+
+The two armies met at Falkirk. Wallace, before the fighting began,
+addressed his men in a pithy sentence: "I have brought you to the ring,
+let me see how you can dance." The battle opened with a charge of the
+English cavalry on the dense ranks of the Scottish infantry, who were
+armed with long spears which they held so closely together that their
+line seemed impregnable. The English horsemen found it so. They
+attempted again and again to break through that "wood of spears," as it
+has been called, but were every time beaten off with loss. But the
+Scotch horse failed to support their brave footmen. On the contrary,
+they fled from the field, through ill-will or treachery of the nobles,
+as is supposed.
+
+Edward now ordered his archers to advance. They did so, and poured their
+arrows upon the Scottish ranks in such close and deadly volleys that
+flesh and blood could not endure it. Wallace had also a body of archers,
+from Ettrick forest, but they were attacked in their advance and many of
+them slain. The English cavalry now again charged. They met with a
+different reception from their previous one. The storm of arrows had
+thrown Wallace's infantry into confusion, the line was broken at several
+points, and the horsemen charged into their midst, cutting them down in
+great numbers. Sir John Grahame and others of their leaders were slain,
+and the Scotch, their firm ranks broken and many of them slain, at
+length took to flight.
+
+It was on the 22d of July, 1298, that this decisive battle took place.
+Its event put an end, for the time, to the hopes of Scottish
+independence. Opposition to Edward's army continued, and some successes
+were gained, but the army of invasion was abundantly reinforced, until
+in the end Wallace alone, at the head of a small band of followers,
+remained in arms.
+
+After all others had yielded, he persistently refused to submit to
+Edward and his armies. As he had been the first to take arms, he was the
+last to keep the field, and for some years he continued to maintain
+himself among the woods and hills of the Highlands, holding his own for
+more than a year after all the other chiefs had surrendered.
+
+Edward was determined not to leave him at liberty. He feared the
+influence of this one man more than of all the nobles of Scotland, and
+pursued him unremittingly, a great price being offered for his head. At
+length the gallant champion was captured, a Scotchman, Sir John
+Menteith, earning obloquy by the act. The story goes that the capture
+was made at Robroyston, near Glasgow, the fugitive champion being taken
+by treachery, the signal for rushing upon him and taking him unawares
+being for one of the company to turn a loaf, which lay upon the table,
+with its bottom side uppermost. In after-days it was considered very
+ill-breeding for any one to turn a loaf in this manner, if a person
+named Menteith were at table.
+
+However this be, it is certain that Wallace was taken and delivered to
+his great enemy, and no less certain that he was treated with barbarous
+harshness. He was placed on trial at Westminster Hall, on the charge of
+being a traitor to the English crown, and Edward, to insult him, had him
+crowned with a green garland, as one who had been king of outlaws and
+robbers in the Scottish woods.
+
+"I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject," was
+the chieftain's answer to the charge against him.
+
+He was then accused of taking many towns and castles, killing many men,
+and doing much violence.
+
+"It is true I have killed many Englishmen," replied Wallace, "but it was
+because they came to oppress my native country. Far from repenting of
+this, I am only sorry not to have put to death many more of them."
+
+Wallace's defence was a sound one, but Edward had prejudged him. He was
+condemned and executed, his body being quartered, in the cruel fashion
+of that time, and the parts exposed on spikes on London bridge, as the
+limbs of a traitor. Thus died a hero, at the command of a tyrant.
+
+
+
+
+_BRUCE AT BANNOCKBURN._
+
+
+To Edward the Second, lying in luxurious idleness in his palace of
+pleasure at London, came the startling word that he must strike a blow
+or lose a kingdom. Scotland was slipping from his weak grasp. Of that
+great realm, won by the iron hand of his father, only one stronghold was
+left to England--Stirling Castle, and that was fiercely besieged by
+Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, who some years before had been
+crowned King of Scotland and was now seeking to drive the English out of
+his realm.
+
+The tidings that came to Edward were these. Sir Philip Mowbray, governor
+of Stirling, hotly pressed by Bruce, and seeing no hope of succor, had
+agreed to deliver the town and castle to the Scotch, unless relief
+reached him before midsummer. Bruce stopped not the messengers. He let
+them speed to London with the tidings, willing, doubtless, in his bold
+heart, to try it once for all with the English king, and win all or lose
+all at a blow.
+
+The news stirred feebly the weak heart of Edward,--lapped in delights,
+and heedless of kingdoms. It stirred strongly the vigorous hearts of the
+English nobility, men who had marched to victory under the banners of
+the iron Edward, and who burned with impatience at the inglorious ease
+of his silken son. The great deeds of Edward I. should not go for
+naught, they declared. He had won Scotland; his son should not lose it.
+Robert Bruce, the rebel chief, had been left alone until he had gathered
+an army and nearly made Scotland his own. Only Stirling remained; it
+would be to the endless disgrace of England should it be abandoned, and
+the gallant Mowbray left without support. An army must be gathered,
+Bruce must be beaten, Scotland must be won.
+
+Like the cry of a pack of sleuth-hounds in the ear of the timid deer
+came these stern demands to Edward the king. He dared not disregard
+them. It might be as much as his crown were worth. England meant
+business, and its king must take the lead or he might be asked to yield
+the throne. Stirred alike by pride and fear, he roused from his
+lethargy, gave orders that an army should be gathered, and vowed to
+drive the beleaguering Scots from before Stirling's walls.
+
+From every side they came, the marching troops. England, hot with
+revengeful blood, mustered its quota in haste. Wales and Ireland, new
+appendages of the English throne, supplied their share. From the French
+provinces of the kingdom hosts of eager men-at-arms flocked across the
+Channel. All the great nobles and the barons of the realm led their
+followers, equipped for war, to the mustering-place, until a force of
+one hundred thousand men was ready for the field, perhaps the largest
+army which had ever marched under an English king. In this great array
+were thirty thousand horsemen. It looked as if Scotland were doomed.
+Surely that sterile land could raise no force to face this great array!
+
+King Robert the Bruce did his utmost to prepare for the storm of war
+which threatened to break upon his realm. In all haste he summoned his
+barons and nobles from far and near. From the Highlands and the Lowlands
+they came, from island and mainland flocked the kilted and tartaned
+Scotch, but, when all were gathered, they numbered not a third the host
+of their foes, and were much more poorly armed. But at their head was
+the most expert military chief of that day, since the death of Edward I.
+the greatest warrior that Europe knew. Once again was it to be proved
+that the general is the soul of his army, and that skill and courage are
+a full offset for lack of numbers.
+
+Towards Stirling marched the great English array, confident in their
+numbers, proud of their gallant show. Northward they streamed, filling
+all the roads, the king, at their head, deeming doubtless that he was on
+a holiday excursion, and that behind him came a wind of war that would
+blow the Scotch forces into the sea. Around Stirling gathered the army
+of the Bruce, marching in haste from hill and dale, coming in to the
+stirring peal of the pipes and the old martial airs of the land, until
+the plain around the beleaguered town seemed a living sea of men, and
+the sunlight burned on endless points of steel.
+
+But Bruce had no thought of awaiting the onset here. He well knew that
+he must supply by skill what he lacked in numbers. The English army was
+far superior to his, not only in men, but in its great host of cavalry,
+which alone equalled his entire force, and in its multitude of archers,
+the best bowmen in the world. What he lacked in men and arms he must
+make up in brains. With this in view, he led his army from before the
+town into a neighboring plain, called the Park, where nature had
+provided means of defence of which he might avail himself.
+
+The ground which his army here occupied was hard and dry. That in front
+of it, through which Edward's host must pass, was wet and boggy, cut up
+with frequent watercourses, and ill-fitted for cavalry. Should the
+heavy-armed horsemen succeed in crossing this marshy and broken ground
+and reach the firm soil in the Scottish front, they would find
+themselves in a worse strait still. For Bruce had his men dig a great
+number of holes as deep as a man's knee. These were covered with light
+brush, and the turf spread evenly over them, so that the honeycombed
+soil looked to the eye like an unbroken field. Elsewhere on the plain he
+scattered calthrops--steel spikes--to lame the English horses. Smooth
+and promising looked the field, but the English cavalry were likely to
+find it a plain of pitfalls and steel points.
+
+While thus defending his front, Bruce had given as skilful heed to the
+defence of his flanks. On the left his line reached to the walls of
+Stirling. On the right it touched the banks of Bannockburn, a brook that
+ran between borders so rocky as to prevent attack from that quarter.
+Here, on the 23d of June, 1314, was posted the Scottish army, awaiting
+the coming of the foe, the camp-followers, cart-drivers, and other
+useless material of the army being sent back behind a hill,--afterwards
+known as the gillies' or servants' hill,--that they might be out of the
+way. They were to play a part in the coming fray of which Bruce did not
+dream.
+
+Thus prepared, Bruce reviewed his force, and addressed them in stirring
+words. The battle would be victory or death to him, he said. He hoped it
+would be to all. If any among them did not propose to fight to the
+bitter end and take victory or death, as God should decree, for his lot,
+now was the time to withdraw; all such might leave the field before the
+battle began. Not a man left.
+
+Fearing that the English might try to throw a force into Stirling
+Castle, the king posted his nephew Randolph with a body of men near St.
+Ninian's church. Lord Douglas and Sir Robert Keith were sent to survey
+and report upon the English force, which was marching from Falkirk. They
+returned with tidings to make any but stout hearts quiver. Such an army
+as was coming they had never seen before; it was a beautiful but a
+terrible sight, the approach of that mighty host. The whole country, as
+far as the eye could see, was crowded with men on horse or on foot.
+Never had they beheld such a grand display of standards, banners, and
+pennons. So gallant and fearful a show was it all, that the bravest host
+in Christendom might well tremble to see King Edward's army marching
+upon them. Such was the story told by Douglas, though his was not the
+heart to tremble in the telling.
+
+Bruce was soon to see this great array of horse and foot for himself. On
+they came, filling the country far and near with their numbers. But
+before they had come in view, another sight met the vigilant eyes of the
+Scottish king. To the eastward there became visible a body of English
+horse, riding at speed, and seeking to reach Stirling from that quarter.
+Bruce turned to his nephew, who stood beside him.
+
+"See, Randolph," he said, "there is a rose fallen from your chaplet."
+
+The English had passed the post which Randolph had been set to guard. He
+heard the rebuke in silence, rode hastily to the head of his men, and
+rushed against the eight hundred English horse with half that number of
+footmen. The English turned to charge this daring force. Randolph drew
+up his men in close order to receive them. It looked as if the Scotch
+would be overwhelmed, and trampled under foot by the powerful foe.
+
+"Randolph is lost!" cried Douglas. "He must have help. Let me go to his
+aid."
+
+"Let Randolph redeem his own fault," answered the king, firmly. "I
+cannot break the order of battle for his sake."
+
+Douglas looked on, fuming with impatience. The danger seemed more
+imminent. The small body of Scotch foot almost vanished from sight in
+the cloud of English horsemen. The glittering lances appeared about to
+annihilate them.
+
+"So please you," said Douglas, "my heart will not suffer me to stand
+idle and see Randolph perish, I must go to his assistance."
+
+The king made no answer. Douglas spurred to the head of his troop, and
+rode off at speed. He neared the scene of conflict. Suddenly a change
+came. The horsemen appeared confused. Panic seemed to have stricken
+their ranks. In a moment away they went, in full flight, many of the
+horses with empty saddles, while the gallant troop of Scotch stood
+unmoved.
+
+"Halt!" cried Douglas. "Randolph has gained the day. Since we are not
+soon enough to help him in the battle, do not let us lessen his glory by
+approaching the field." And the noble knight pulled rein and galloped
+back, unwilling to rob Randolph of any of the honor of his deed.
+
+The English vanguard was now in sight. From it rode out a number of
+knights, eager to see the Scotch array more nearly. King Robert did the
+same. He was in armor, but was poorly mounted, riding only a little
+pony, with which he moved up and down the front of his army, putting his
+men in order. A golden crown worn over his helmet was his sole mark of
+distinction. The only weapon he carried was a steel battle-axe. As the
+English knights came nearer, he advanced a little to have a closer look
+at them.
+
+[Illustration: STIRLING CASTLE.]
+
+Here seemed an opportunity for a quick and decisive blow. The Scottish
+king was at some distance in front of his men, his rank indicated by his
+crown, his horse a poor one, his hand empty of a spear. He might be
+ridden down by a sudden onset, victory to the English host be gained by
+a single blow, and great glory come to the bold knight that dealt it.
+
+So thought one of the English knights, Sir Henry de Bohun by name.
+Putting spurs to his powerful horse, he galloped furiously upon the
+king, thinking to bear him easily to the ground. Bruce saw him coming,
+but made no movement of flight. He sat his pony warily, waiting the
+onset, until Bohun was nearly upon him with his spear. Then a quick
+touch to the rein, a sudden movement of the horse, and the lance-point
+sped past, missing its mark.
+
+The Scotch army stood in breathless alarm; the English host in equally
+breathless expectation; it seemed for the moment as if Robert the Bruce
+were lost. But as De Bohun passed him, borne onward by the career of his
+steed, King Robert rose in his stirrups, swung his battle-axe in the
+air, and brought it down on his adversary's head with so terrible a blow
+that the iron helmet cracked as though it were a nutshell, and the
+knight fell from his horse, dead before he reached the ground.
+
+King Robert turned and rode back, where he was met by a storm of
+reproaches from his nobles, who declared that he had done grave wrong
+in exposing himself to such danger, when the safety of the army depended
+on him. The king heard their reproaches in silence, his eyes fixed on
+the fractured edge of his weapon.
+
+"I have broken my good battle-axe," was his only reply.
+
+This incident ended the day. Night was at hand. Both armies rested on
+the field. But at an early hour of the next day, the 24th of June, the
+battle began, one of the critical battles of history.
+
+Through the Scottish ranks walked barefooted the abbot of Inchaffray,
+exhorting the men to fight their best for freedom. The soldiers kneeled
+as he passed.
+
+"They kneel down!" cried King Edward, who saw this. "They are asking
+forgiveness!"
+
+"Yes," said a baron beside him, "but they ask it from God, not from us.
+These men will conquer, or die upon the field."
+
+The battle began with a flight of English arrows. The archers, drawn up
+in close ranks, bent their bows, and poured their steel shafts as
+thickly as snow-flakes on the Scotch, many of whom were slain. Something
+must be done, and that speedily, or those notable bowmen would end the
+battle of themselves. Flesh and blood could not long bear that rain of
+cloth-yard shafts, with their points of piercing steel.
+
+But Bruce had prepared for this danger. A body of well-mounted
+men-at-arms stood ready, and at the word of command rushed at full
+gallop upon the archers, cutting them down to right and left. Having no
+weapons but their bows and arrows, the archers broke and fled in utter
+confusion, hundreds of them being slain.
+
+This charge of the Scotch cavalry was followed by an advance in force of
+the English horsemen, who came forward in such close and serried ranks
+and with so vast an array that it looked as if they would overwhelm the
+narrow lines before them. But suddenly trouble came upon this mighty
+mass of knights and men-at-arms. The seemingly solid earth gave way
+under their horses' feet, and down they went into the hidden pits, the
+horses hurled headlong, the riders flung helplessly upon the ground,
+from which the weight of their armor prevented their rising.
+
+In an instant the Scotch footmen were among them, killing the
+defenceless knights, cutting and slashing among the confused mass of
+horsemen, breaking their fine display into irretrievable disorder. Bruce
+brought up his men in crowding multitudes. Through the English ranks
+they glided, stabbing horses, slaying their iron-clad riders, doubly
+increasing the confusion of that wild whirl of horsemen, whose trim and
+gallant ranks had been thrown into utter disarray.
+
+The English fought as they could, though at serious disadvantage. But
+their numbers were so great that they might have crushed the Scotch
+under their mere weight but for one of these strange chances on which
+the fate of so many battles have depended. As has been said, the Scotch
+camp-followers had been sent back behind a hill. But on seeing that
+their side seemed likely to win the day, this rabble came suddenly
+crowding over the hill, eager for a share in the spoil.
+
+It was a disorderly mob, but to the sorely-pressed English cavalry it
+seemed a new army which the Bruce had held in reserve. Suddenly stricken
+with panic, the horsemen turned and fled, each man for himself, as fast
+as their horses could carry them, the whole army breaking rank and
+rushing back in terror over the ground which they had lately traversed
+in such splendor of appearance and confidence of soul.
+
+After them came the Scotch, cutting, slashing, killing, paving the earth
+with English slain. King Edward put spurs to his horse and fled in all
+haste from the fatal field. A gallant knight, Sir Giles de Argentine,
+who had won glory in Palestine, kept by him till he was out of the
+press. Then he drew rein.
+
+"It is not my custom to fly," he said.
+
+Turning his horse and shouting his war-cry of "Argentine! Argentine!" he
+rushed into the densest ranks of the Scotch, and was quickly killed.
+
+Many others of high rank fell, valiantly fighting, men who knew not the
+meaning of flight. But the bulk of the army was in hopeless panic,
+flying for life, red lines constantly falling before the crimsoned
+claymores of the Scotch, until the very streams ran red with blood.
+
+King Edward found war less than ever to his royal taste. He fled to
+Stirling Castle and begged admittance.
+
+"I cannot grant it, my liege," answered Mowbray. "My compact with the
+Bruce obliges me to surrender the castle to-morrow. If you enter here it
+will be to become prisoner to the Scotch."
+
+Edward turned and continued his flight, his route lying through the
+Torwood. After him came Lord Douglas, with a body of cavalry, pressing
+forward in hot haste. On his way he met a Scotch knight, Sir Lawrence
+Abernethy, with twenty horsemen, riding to join Edward's army.
+
+"Edward's army? He has no army," cried Douglas. "The army is a rout.
+Edward himself is in flight. I am hot on his track."
+
+"I am with you, then," cried Abernethy, changing sides on the instant,
+and joining in pursuit of the king whom he had just before been eager to
+serve.
+
+Away went the frightened king. On came the furious pursuers. Not a
+moment was given Edward to draw rein or alight. The chase was continued
+as far as Dunbar, whose governor, the earl of March, opened his gates to
+the flying king, and shut them against his foes. Giving the forlorn
+monarch a small fishing-vessel, he set him on the seas for England, a
+few distressed attendants alone remaining to him of the splendid army
+with which he had marched to the conquest of Scotland.
+
+Thus ended the battle which wrested Scotland from English hands, and
+made Robert Bruce king of the whole country. From the state of an exile,
+hunted with hounds, he had made himself a monarch, and one who soon gave
+the English no little trouble to protect their own borders.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SIEGE OF CALAIS._
+
+
+Terrible and long-enduring had been the siege of Calais. For a whole
+year it had continued, and still the sturdy citizens held the town.
+Outside was Edward III., with his English host, raging at the obstinacy
+of the French and at his own losses during the siege. Inside was John de
+Vienne, the unyielding governor, and his brave garrison. Outside was
+plenty; inside was famine; between were impregnable walls, which all the
+engines of Edward failed to reduce or surmount. No resource was left the
+English king but time and famine; none was left the garrison but the
+hope of wearying their foes or of relief by their king. The chief foe
+they fought against was starvation, an enemy against whom warlike arms
+were of no avail, whom only stout hearts and inflexible endurance could
+meet; and bravely they faced this frightful foe, those stout citizens of
+Calais.
+
+An excellent harbor had Calais. It had long been the sheltering-place
+for the pirates that preyed on English commerce. But now no ship could
+leave or enter. The English fleet closed the passage by sea; the English
+army blocked all approach by land; the French king, whose great army had
+just been mercilessly slaughtered at Crecy, held aloof, nothing seemed
+to remain for Calais but death or surrender, and yet the valiant
+governor held out against his foes.
+
+As the days went on and no relief came he made a census of the town,
+selected seventeen hundred poor and unsoldierly folks, "useless mouths,"
+as he called them, and drove them outside the walls. Happily for them,
+King Edward was just then in a good humor. He gave the starving outcasts
+a good dinner and twopence in money each, and passed them through his
+ranks to make their way whither they would.
+
+More days passed; food grew scarcer; there were more "useless mouths" in
+the town; John de Vienne decided to try this experiment again. Five
+hundred more were thrust from the gates. This time King Edward was not
+in a good humor. He bade his soldiers drive them back at sword's-point.
+The governor refused to admit them into the town. The whole miserable
+multitude died of starvation in sight of both camps. Such were the
+amenities of war in the Middle Ages, and in fact, of war in almost all
+ages, for mercy counts for little when opposed by military exigencies.
+
+A letter was now sent to the French king, Philip de Valois, imploring
+succor. They had eaten, said the governor, their horses, their dogs,
+even the rats and mice; nothing remained but to eat one another.
+Unluckily, the English, not the French, king received this letter, and
+the English host grew more watchful than ever. But Philip de Valois
+needed not letters to tell him of the extremity of the garrison; he
+knew it well, and knew as well that haste alone could save him one of
+his fairest towns.
+
+[Illustration: THE PORT OF CALAIS.]
+
+But he had suffered a frightful defeat at Crecy only five days before
+the siege of Calais began. Twelve hundred of his knights and thirty
+thousand of his foot-soldiers--a number equal to the whole English
+force--had been slain on the field; thousands of others had been taken
+prisoner; a new army was not easily to be raised. Months passed before
+Philip was able to come to the relief of the beleaguered stronghold. The
+Oriflamme, the sacred banner of the realm, never displayed but in times
+of dire extremity, was at length unfurled to the winds, and from every
+side the great vassels of the kingdom hastened to its support. France,
+ever prolific of men, poured forth her sons until she had another large
+army in the field. In July of 1347, eleven months after the siege began,
+the garrison, weary with long waiting, saw afar from their lookout
+towers the floating banners of France, and beneath them the faintly-seen
+forms of a mighty host.
+
+The glad news spread through the town. The king was coming with a great
+army at his back! Their sufferings had not been in vain; they would soon
+be relieved, and those obstinate English be driven into the sea! Had a
+fleet of bread-ships broken through the blockade, and sailed with waving
+pennons into the harbor, the souls of the garrison could not have been
+more uplifted with joy.
+
+Alas! it was a short-lived joy. Not many days elapsed before that great
+host faded before their eyes like a mist under the sun-rays, its banners
+lifting and falling as they slowly vanished into the distance, the gleam
+of its many steel-headed weapons dying out until not a point of light
+remained. Their gladness turned into redoubled misery as they saw
+themselves thus left to their fate; their king, who had marched up with
+such a gallant show of banners and arms, marching away without striking
+a blow. It was hard to believe it; but there they went, and there the
+English lay.
+
+The soil of France had never seen anything quite so ludicrous--but for
+its tragic side--as this march of Philip the king. Two roads led to the
+town, but these King Edward, who was well advised of what was coming,
+had taken care to intrench and guard so strongly that it would prove no
+light nor safe matter to force a way through. Philip sent out his spies,
+learned what was before him, and, full of the memory of Crecy, decided
+that it would be too costly an experiment to attack those works. But
+were not those the days of chivalry? was not Edward famed for his
+chivalrous spirit? Surely he, as a noble and puissant knight, would not
+take an unfair advantage of his adversary. As a knight of renown he
+could not refuse to march into the open field, and trust to God and St.
+George of England for his defence, as against God and St. Denys of
+France.
+
+Philip, thereupon, sent four of his principal lords to the English
+king, saying that he was there to do battle, as knight against knight,
+but _could find no way to come to him_. He requested, therefore, that a
+council should meet to fix upon a place of battle, where the difference
+between him and his cousin of England might be fairly decided.
+
+Surely such a request had never before been made to an opposing general.
+Doubtless King Edward laughed in his beard at the naïve proposal, even
+if courtesy kept him from laughing in the envoys' faces. As regards his
+answer, we cannot quote its words, but its nature may be gathered from
+the fact that Philip soon after broke camp, and marched back over the
+road by which he had come, saying to himself, no doubt, that the English
+king lacked knightly honor, or he would not take so unfair an advantage
+of a foe. And thus ended this strange episode in war, Philip marching
+away with all the bravery of his host, Edward grimly turning again to
+the town which he held in his iron grasp.
+
+The story of the siege of Calais concludes in a highly dramatic fashion.
+It was a play presented upon a great stage, but with true dramatic
+accessories of scenery and incident. These have been picturesquely
+preserved by the old chroniclers, and are well worthy of being again
+presented. Froissart has told the tale in his own inimitable fashion. We
+follow others in telling it in more modern phrase.
+
+When the people of Calais saw that they were deserted by their king,
+hope suddenly fled from their hearts. Longer defence meant but deeper
+misery. Nothing remained but surrender. Stout-hearted John de Vienne,
+their commander, seeing that all was at an end, mounted the walls with a
+flag of truce, and made signs that he wished to speak with some person
+of the besieging host. Word of this was brought to the English king, and
+he at once sent Sir Walter de Manny and Sir Basset as his envoys to
+confer with the bearer of the flag. The governor looked down upon them
+from the walls with sadness in his eyes and the lines of starvation on
+his face.
+
+"Sirs," he said, "valiant knights you are, as I well know. As for me, I
+have obeyed the command of the king, my master, by doing all that lay in
+my power to hold for him this town. Now succor has failed us, and food
+we have none. We must all die of famine unless your noble and gentle
+king will have mercy on us, and let us go free, in exchange for the town
+and all the goods it contains, of which there is great abundance."
+
+"We know something of the intention of our master," answered Sir Walter.
+"He will certainly not let you go free, but will require you to
+surrender without conditions, some of you to be held to ransom, others
+to be put to death. Your people have put him to such despite by their
+bitter obstinacy, and caused him such loss of treasure and men, that he
+is sorely grieved against them."
+
+"You make it too hard for us," answered the governor. "We are here a
+small company of knights and squires, who have served our king to our
+own pain and misery, as you would serve yours in like case; but rather
+than let the least lad in the town suffer more than the greatest of us,
+we will endure the last extremity of pain. We beg of you to plead for us
+with your king for pity, and trust that, by God's grace, his purpose
+will change, and his gentleness yield us pardon."
+
+The envoys, much moved by the wasted face and earnest appeal of the
+governor, returned with his message to the king, whom they found in an
+unrelenting mood. He answered them that he would make no other terms.
+The garrison must yield themselves to his pleasure. Sir Walter answered
+with words as wise as they were bold,--
+
+"I beg you to consider this more fully," he said, "for you may be in the
+wrong, and make a dangerous example from which some of us may yet
+suffer. We shall certainly not very gladly go into any fortress of yours
+for defence, if you should put any of the people of this town to death
+after they yield; for in like case the French will certainly deal with
+us in the same fashion."
+
+Others of the lords present sustained Sir Walter in this opinion, and
+presented the case so strongly that the king yielded.
+
+"I will not be alone against you all," he said, after an interval of
+reflection. "This much will I yield. Go, Sir Walter, and say to the
+governor that all the grace I can give him is this. Let him send me six
+of the chief burgesses of the town, who shall come out bareheaded,
+barefooted, and barelegged, clad only in their shirts, and with halters
+around their necks, with the keys of the tower and castle in their
+hands. These must yield themselves fully to my will. The others I will
+take to mercy."
+
+Sir Walter returned with this message, saying that no hope of better
+terms could be had of the king.
+
+"Then I beg you to wait here," said Sir John, "till I can take your
+message to the townsmen, who sent me here, and bring you their reply."
+
+Into the town went the governor, where he sought the market-place, and
+soon the town-bell was ringing its mustering peal. Quickly the people
+gathered, eager, says Jehan le Bel, "to hear their good news, for they
+were all mad with hunger." Sir John told them his message, saying,--
+
+"No other terms are to be had, and you must decide quickly, for our foes
+ask a speedy answer."
+
+His words were followed by weeping and much lamentation among the
+people. Some of them must die. Who should it be? Sir John himself shed
+tears for their extremity. It was not in his heart to name the victims
+to the wrath of the English king.
+
+At length the richest burgess of the town, Eustace de St. Pierre,
+stepped forward and said, in tones of devoted resolution,--
+
+"My friends and fellows, it would be great grief to let you all die by
+famine or otherwise, when there is a means given to save you. Great
+grace would he win from our Lord who could keep this people from dying.
+For myself, I have trust in God that if I save this people by my death I
+shall have pardon for my faults. Therefore, I offer myself as the first
+of the six, and am willing to put myself at the mercy of King Edward."
+
+He was followed by another rich burgess, Jehan D'Aire by name, who said,
+"I will keep company with my gossip Eustace."
+
+Jacques de Wisant and his brother, Peter de Wisant, both rich citizens,
+next offered themselves, and two others quickly made up the tale. Word
+was taken to Sir Walter of what had been done, and the victims
+apparelled themselves as the king had commanded.
+
+It was a sad procession that made its way to the gate of the town. Sir
+John led the way, the devoted six followed, while the remainder of the
+towns-people made their progress woful with tears and cries of grief.
+Months of suffering had not caused them deeper sorrow than to see these
+their brave hostages marching to death.
+
+The gate opened. Sir John and the six burgesses passed through. It
+closed behind them. Sir Walter stood waiting.
+
+"I deliver to you, as captain of Calais," said Sir John, "and by the
+consent of all the people of the town, these six burgesses, who I swear
+to you are the richest and most honorable burgesses of Calais.
+Therefore, gentle knight, I beg you pray the king to have mercy on them,
+and grant them their lives."
+
+"What the king will do I cannot say," answered Sir Walter, "but I shall
+do for them the best I can."
+
+The coming of the hostages roused great feeling in the English host.
+Their pale and wasted faces, their miserable state, the fate which
+threatened them, roused pity and sympathy in the minds of many, and not
+the least in that of the queen, who was with Edward in the camp, and
+came with him and his train of nobles as they approached the place to
+which the hostages had been led.
+
+When they were brought before the king the burgesses kneeled and
+piteously begged his grace, Eustace saying,--
+
+"Gentle king, here be we six, who were burgesses of Calais, and great
+merchants. We bring you the keys of the town and the castle, and submit
+ourselves fully to your will, to save the remainder of our people, who
+have already suffered great pain. We beseech you to have mercy and pity
+on us through your high nobleness."
+
+His words brought tears from many persons there present, for naught so
+piteous had ever come before them. But the king looked on them with
+vindictive eyes, and for some moments stood in lowering silence. Then he
+gave the harsh command to take these men and strike off their heads.
+
+At this cruel sentence the lords of his council crowded round the king,
+begging for compassion, but he turned a deaf ear to their pleadings.
+Sir Walter de Manny then said, his eyes fixed in sorrow on the pale and
+trembling victims,--
+
+"Noble sire, for God's sake restrain your wrath. You have the renown of
+all gentleness and nobility; I pray you do not a thing that can lay a
+blemish on your fair fame, or give men cause to speak of you
+despitefully. Every man will say it is a great cruelty to put to death
+such honest persons, who of their own will have put themselves into your
+hands to save the remainder of their people."
+
+These words seemed rather to heighten than to soften the king's wrath.
+He turned away fiercely, saying,--
+
+"Hold your peace, Master Walter; it shall be as I have said.--Call the
+headsman. They of Calais have made so many of my men to die, that they
+must die themselves."
+
+The queen had listened sadly to these words, while tears flowed freely
+from her gentle eyes. On hearing the harsh decision of her lord and
+king, she could restrain herself no longer. With streaming eyes she cast
+herself on her knees at his feet, and turned up to him her sweet,
+imploring face.
+
+"Gentle sir," she said, "since that day in which I passed over sea in
+great peril, as you know, I have asked no favor from you. Now I pray and
+beseech you with folded hands, in honor of the Son of the Virgin Mary,
+and for the love which you bear me, that you will have mercy on these
+poor men."
+
+The king looked down upon her face, wet with tears, and stood silent for
+a few minutes. At length he spoke.
+
+"Ah, dame, I would you had been in some other place this day. You pray
+so tenderly that I cannot refuse you. Though it is much against my will,
+nevertheless take them, I give them to you to use as you will."
+
+The queen, filled with joy at these words of grace and mercy, returned
+glad thanks to the king, and bade those near her to take the halters
+from the necks of the burgesses and clothe them. Then she saw that a
+good dinner was set before them, and gave each of them six nobles,
+afterwards directing that they should be taken in safety through the
+English army and set at liberty.
+
+Thus ended that memorable siege of Calais, with one of the most dramatic
+incidents which history has to tell. For more than two centuries the
+captured city remained in English hands, being theirs long after they
+had lost all other possessions on the soil of France. At length, in
+1558, in the reign of Queen Mary, it was taken by the French, greatly to
+the chagrin of the queen, who is reported to have said, "When I die, you
+will find the word _Calais_ written on my heart."
+
+
+
+
+_THE BLACK PRINCE AT POITIERS._
+
+
+Through the centre of France marched the Black Prince, with a small but
+valiant army. Into the heart of that fair kingdom had he come, ravaging
+the land as he went, leaving misery and destitution at every step, when
+suddenly across his line of march there appeared an unlooked-for
+obstacle. The plundering marches of the English had roused the French.
+In hosts they had gathered round their king, marched in haste to
+confront the advancing foe, and on the night of Saturday, September 17,
+1356, the English found their line of retreat cut off by what seemed an
+innumerable array of knights and men-at-arms, filling the whole country
+in their front as far as eye could see, closing with a wall of hostile
+steel their only road to safety.
+
+The danger was great. For two years the Black Prince and his army of
+foragers had held France at their mercy, plundering to their hearts'
+content. The year before, the young prince had led his army up the
+Garonne into--as an ancient chronicler tells us--"what was before one of
+the fat countries of the world, the people good and simple, who did not
+know what war was; indeed, no war had been waged against them till the
+prince came. The English and Gascons found the country full and gay,
+the rooms adorned with carpets and draperies, the caskets and chests
+full of fair jewels. But nothing was safe from these robbers. They, and
+especially the Gascons, who are very greedy, carried off everything."
+When they reached Bordeaux their horses were "so laden with spoils that
+they could hardly move."
+
+Again the prince had led his army of freebooters through France, but he
+was not to march out again with the same impunity as before. King John,
+who had just come to the throne, hastily gathered an army and marched to
+his country's relief. On the night named, the Black Prince, marching
+briskly forward with his small force of about eight thousand men, found
+himself suddenly in face of an overwhelming array of not less than sixty
+thousand of the best fighting blood of France.
+
+The case seemed hopeless. Surrender appeared the only resource of the
+English. Just ten years before, at Crecy, Edward III., in like manner
+driven to bay, had with a small force of English put to rout an
+overwhelming body of French. In that affair the Black Prince, then
+little more than a boy, had won the chief honor of the day. But it was
+beyond hope that so great a success could again be attained. It seemed
+madness to join battle with such a disproportion of numbers. Yet the
+prince remembered Crecy, and simply said, on being told how mighty was
+the host of the French,--
+
+"Well, in the name of God, let us now study how we shall fight with them
+at our advantage."
+
+Small as was the English force, it had all the advantages of position.
+In its front were thick and strong hedges. It could be approached only
+by a deep and narrow lane that ran between vineyards. In the rear was
+higher ground, on which the small body of men-at-arms were stationed.
+The bowmen lay behind the hedges and in the vineyards, guarding the lane
+of approach. Here they lay that night, awaiting the fateful morrow.
+
+With the morning's light the French army was drawn up in lines of
+assault. "Then trumpets blew up through the host," says gossipy old
+Froissart, "and every man mounted on horseback and went into the field,
+where they saw the king's banner wave with the wind. There might have
+been seen great nobles of fair harness and rich armory of banners and
+pennons; for there was all the flower of France; there was none durst
+abide at home, without he would be shamed forever."
+
+It was Sunday morning, a suitable day for the church to take part in the
+affair. Those were times in which the part of the church was apt to be
+played with sword and spear, but on this occasion it bore the
+olive-branch. At an early hour the cardinal of Perigord appeared on the
+scene, eager to make peace between the opposing forces. The pope had
+commissioned him to this duty.
+
+"Sir," he said, kneeling before King John, "ye have here all the flower
+of your realm against a handful of Englishmen, as regards your company.
+And, sir, if ye may have them accorded to you without battle, it shall
+be more profitable and honorable than to adventure this noble chivalry.
+I beg you let me, in the name of God and humility, ride to the prince
+and show him in what danger ye have him in."
+
+"That pleases me well," answered the king. "Go; but return again
+shortly."
+
+The cardinal thereupon rode to the English side and accosted the prince,
+whom he found on foot among his men. A courteous greeting passed.
+
+"Fair son," said the envoy of peace, "if you and your council know
+justly the power of the French king, you will suffer me to treat for
+peace between you."
+
+"I would gladly fall to any reasonable way," answered the prince, "if
+but my honor and that of my people be saved."
+
+Some further words passed, and the cardinal rode again to the king.
+
+"Sir," he said, "there seems hope of making peace with your foes, nor
+need you make haste to fight them, for they cannot flee if they would. I
+beg you, therefore, to forbear for this day, and put off the battle till
+to-morrow sunrise. That may give time to conclude a truce."
+
+This advice was not pleasing to the king, who saw no wisdom in delay,
+but the cardinal in the end persuaded him to consent to a day's respite.
+The conference ended, the king's pavilion of red silk was raised, and
+word sent through the army that the men might take their ease, except
+the advanced forces of the constable and marshal.
+
+All that day the cardinal kept himself busy in earnest efforts to effect
+an agreement. Back and forth he rode between the tents of the king and
+the prince, seeking to make terms of peace or surrender. Offer after
+offer was made and refused. The king's main demand was that four of the
+principal Englishmen should be placed in his hands, to deal with as he
+would, and all the others yield themselves prisoners. This the prince
+refused. He would agree to return all the castles and towns he had
+taken, surrender all prisoners, and swear not to bear arms against the
+French for seven years; this and no more he would offer.
+
+King John would listen to no such terms. He had the English at his
+mercy, as he fully believed, and it was for him, not for them, to make
+terms. He would be generous. The prince and a hundred of his knights
+alone should yield themselves prisoners. The rest might go free. Surely
+this was a most favorable offer, pleaded the cardinal. But so thought
+not the Black Prince, who refused it absolutely, and the cardinal
+returned in despair to Poitiers.
+
+That day of respite was not wasted by the prince. What he lacked in men
+he must make up in work. He kept his men busily employed, deepening the
+dikes, strengthening the hedges, making all the preparations that skill
+suggested and time permitted.
+
+The sun rose on Monday morning, and with its first beams the tireless
+peace-maker was again on horse, with the forlorn hope that the bloody
+fray might still be avoided. He found the leaders of the hosts in a
+different temper from that of the day before. The time for words had
+gone; that for blows had come.
+
+"Return whither ye will," was King John's abrupt answer; "bring hither
+no more words of treaty or peace; and if you love yourself depart
+shortly."
+
+To the prince rode the good cardinal, overcome with emotion.
+
+"Sir," he pleaded, "do what you can for peace. Otherwise there is no
+help from battle, for I can find no spirit of accord in the French
+king."
+
+"Nor here," answered the prince, cheerfully. "I and all my people are of
+the same intent,--and God help the right!"
+
+[Illustration: CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME POITIERS.]
+
+The cardinal turned and rode away, sore-hearted with pity. As he went
+the prince turned to his men.
+
+"Though," he said, "we be but a small company as compared with the power
+of our foes, let not that abash us; for victory lies not in the
+multitude of people, but goes where God sends it. If fortune makes the
+day ours, we shall be honored by all the world; but if we die, the king,
+my father, and your good friends and kinsmen shall revenge us.
+Therefore, sirs and comrades, I require you to do your duty this day;
+for if God be pleased, and Saint George aid, this day you shall see me
+a good knight."
+
+The battle began with a charge of three hundred French knights up the
+narrow lane. No sooner had they appeared than the vineyards and hedges
+rained arrows upon them, killing and wounding knights and horses; the
+animals, wild with pain, flinging and trampling their masters; the
+knights, heavy with armor and disabled by wounds, strewing that fatal
+lane with their bodies; while still the storm of steel-pointed shafts
+dealt death in their midst.
+
+The horsemen fell back in dismay, breaking the thick ranks of footmen
+behind them, and spreading confusion wherever they appeared. At this
+critical moment a body of English horse, who were posted on a little
+hill to the right, rushed furiously upon the French flank. At the same
+time the archers poured their arrows upon the crowded and disordered
+mass, and the prince, seeing the state of the enemy, led his men-at-arms
+vigorously upon their broken ranks.
+
+"St. George for Guienne!" was the cry, as the horsemen spurred upon the
+panic-stricken masses of the French.
+
+"Let us push to the French king's station; there lies the heart of the
+battle," said Lord Chandos to the prince. "He is too valiant to fly, I
+fancy. If we fight well, I trust, by the grace of God and St. George, we
+shall have him. You said we should see you this day a good knight."
+
+"You shall not see me turn back," said the prince. "Advance, banner, in
+the name of God and St. George!"
+
+On went the banner; on came the array of fighting knights; into the
+French host they pressed deeper and deeper, King John their goal. The
+field was strewn with dead and dying; panic was spreading in widening
+circles through the French army; the repulsed horsemen were in full
+flight and thousands of those behind them broke and followed. King John
+fought with knightly courage, his son Philip, a boy of sixteen, by his
+side, aiding him by his cries of warning. But nothing could withstand
+the English onset. Some of his defenders fell, others fled; he would
+have fallen himself but for the help of a French knight, in the English
+service.
+
+"Sir, yield you," he called to the king, pressing between him and his
+assailants.
+
+"To whom shall I yield?" asked the king. "Where is my cousin, the prince
+of Wales?"
+
+"He is not here, sir. Yield, and I will bring you to him."
+
+"And who are you?"
+
+"I am Denis of Morbecque, a knight of Artois. I serve the English king,
+for I am banished from France, and all I had has been forfeited."
+
+"Then I yield me to you," said the king, handing him his right gauntlet.
+
+Meanwhile the rout of the French had become complete. On all sides they
+were in flight; on all sides the English were in pursuit. The prince had
+fought until he was overcome with fatigue.
+
+"I see no more banners or pennons of the French," said Sir John Chandos,
+who had kept beside him the day through. "You are sore chafed. Set your
+banner high in this bush, and let us rest."
+
+The prince's pavilion was set up, and drink brought him. As he quaffed
+it, he asked if any one had tidings of the French king.
+
+"He is dead or taken," was the answer. "He has not left the field."
+
+Two knights were thereupon sent to look for him, and had not got far
+before they saw a troop of men-at-arms wearily approaching. In their
+midst was King John, afoot and in peril, for they had taken him from Sir
+Denis, and were quarrelling as to who owned him.
+
+"Strive not about my taking," said the king. "Lead me to the prince. I
+am rich enough to make you all rich."
+
+The brawling went on, however, until the lords who had been sent to seek
+him came near.
+
+"What means all this, good sirs?" they asked. "Why do you quarrel?"
+
+"We have the French king prisoner," was the answer; "and there are more
+than ten knights and squires who claim to have taken him and his son."
+
+The envoys at this bade them halt and cease their clamor, on pain of
+their heads, and taking the king and his son from their midst they
+brought him to the tent of the prince of Wales, where the exalted
+captives were received with all courtesy.
+
+The battle, begun at dawn, was ended by noon. In that time was slain
+"all the flower of France; and there was taken, with the king and the
+Lord Philip his son, seventeen earls, besides barons, knights, and
+squires."
+
+The men returning from the pursuit brought in twice as many prisoners as
+their own army numbered in all. So great was the host of captives that
+many of them were ransomed on the spot, and set free on their word of
+honor to return to Bordeaux with their ransom before Christmas.
+
+The prince and his comrades had breakfasted that morning in dread; they
+supped that night in triumph. The supper party, as described by
+Froissart, is a true picture of the days of chivalry,--in war all
+cruelty, in peace all courtesy; ruthless in the field, gentle and
+ceremonious at the feast. Thus the picturesque old chronicler limns
+it,--
+
+"The prince made the king and his son, the Lord James of Bourbon, the
+Lord John d'Artois, the earl of Tancarville, the Lord d'Estampes, the
+Earl Dammartyn, the earl of Greville, and the earl of Pertney, to sit
+all at one board, and other lords, knights, and squires at other tables;
+and always the prince served before the king as humbly as he could, and
+would not sit at the king's board, for any desire that the king could
+make; but he said he was not sufficient to sit at the table with so
+great a prince as the king was; but then he said to the king, 'Sir, for
+God's sake, make none evil nor heavy cheer, though God did not this day
+consent to follow your will; for, sir, surely the king my father shall
+bear you as much honor and amity as he may do, and shall accord with you
+so reasonably, and ye shall ever be friends together after; and, sir,
+methinks you ought to rejoice, though the journey be not as you would
+have had it; for this day ye have won the high renown of prowess, and
+have passed this day in valiantness all other of your party. Sir, I say
+not this to mock you; for all that be on our party, that saw every man's
+deeds, are plainly accorded by true sentence to give you the prize and
+chaplet."
+
+So ended that great day at Poitiers. It ended miserably enough for
+France, the routed soldiery themselves becoming bandits to ravage her,
+and the people being robbed for ransom till the whole realm was given
+over to misery and woe.
+
+It ended famously for England, another proud chaplet of victory being
+added to the crown of glory of Edward III. and his valiant son, the
+great day at Crecy being matched with as great a day at Poitiers.
+Agincourt was still to come, the three being the most notable instances
+in history of the triumph of a handful of men well led over a great but
+feebly-handled host. The age of knighthood and chivalry reached its
+culmination on these three memorable days. It ended at Agincourt,
+"villanous gunpowder" sounding its requiem on that great field. Cannon,
+indeed, had been used by Edward III. in his wars; but not until after
+this date did firearms banish the spear and bow from the "tented
+field."
+
+
+
+
+_WAT TYLER AND THE MEN OF KENT._
+
+
+In that year of woe and dread, 1348, the Black Death fell upon England.
+Never before had so frightful a calamity been known; never since has it
+been equalled. Men died by millions. All Europe had been swept by the
+plague, as by a besom of destruction, and now England became its prey.
+The population of the island at that period was not great,--some three
+or four millions in all. When the plague had passed more than half of
+these were in their graves, and in many places there were hardly enough
+living to bury the dead.
+
+We call it a calamity. It is not so sure that it was. Life in England at
+that day, for the masses of the people, was not so precious a boon that
+death had need to be sorely deplored. A handful of lords and a host of
+laborers, the latter just above the state of slavery, constituted the
+population. Many of the serfs had been set free, but the new liberty of
+the people was not a state of unadulterated happiness. War had drained
+the land. The luxury of the nobles added to the drain. The patricians
+caroused. The plebeians suffered. The Black Death came. After it had
+passed, labor, for the first time in English history, was master of the
+situation.
+
+Laborers had grown scarce. Many men refused to work. The first general
+strike for higher wages began. In the country, fields were left untilled
+and harvests rotted on the ground. "The sheep and cattle strayed through
+the fields and corn, and there were none left who could drive them." In
+the towns, craftsmen refused to work at the old rate of wages. Higher
+wages were paid, but the scarcity of food made higher prices, and men
+were little better off. Many laborers, indeed, declined to work at all,
+becoming tramps,--what were known as "sturdy beggars,"--or haunting the
+forests as bandits.
+
+The king and parliament sought to put an end to this state of affairs by
+law. An ordinance was passed whose effect would have made slaves of the
+people. Every man under sixty, not a land-owner or already at work (says
+this famous act), must work for the employer who demands his labor, and
+for the rate of wages that prevailed two years before the plague. The
+man who refused should be thrown into prison. This law failed to work,
+and sterner measures were passed. The laborer was once more made a serf,
+bound to the soil, his wage-rate fixed by parliament. Law after law
+followed, branding with a hot iron on the forehead being finally ordered
+as a restraint to runaway laborers. It was the first great effort made
+by the class in power to put down an industrial revolt.
+
+The peasantry and the mechanics of the towns resisted. The poor found
+their mouth-piece in John Ball, "a mad priest of Kent," as Froissart
+calls him. Mad his words must have seemed to the nobles of the land.
+"Good people," he declared, "things will never go well in England so
+long as goods be not in common, and so long as there be villains and
+gentlemen. By what right are they whom we call lords greater folk than
+we? On what grounds have they deserved it? Why do they hold us in
+serfage? If we all came of the same father and mother, of Adam and Eve,
+how can they say or prove that they are better than we, if it be not
+that they make us gain for them by our toil what they spend in their
+pride? They are clothed in velvet, and warm in their furs and their
+ermines, while we are covered with rags. They have wine and spices and
+fair bread; and we have oat-cake and straw, and water to drink. They
+have leisure and fine houses; we have pain and labor, the rain and the
+wind in the fields. And yet it is of us and of our toil that these men
+hold their state."
+
+So spoke this early socialist. So spoke his hearers in the popular rhyme
+of the day:
+
+  "When Adam delved and Eve span,
+  Who was then the gentleman?"
+
+So things went on for years, growing worse year by year, the fire of
+discontent smouldering, ready at a moment to burst into flame.
+
+At length the occasion came. Edward the Third died, but he left an ugly
+heritage of debt behind him. His useless wars in France had beggared
+the crown. New money must be raised. Parliament laid a poll-tax on every
+person in the realm, the poorest to pay as much as the wealthiest.
+
+Here was an application of the doctrine of equality of which the people
+did not approve. The land was quickly on fire from sea to sea. Crowds of
+peasants gathered and drove the tax-gatherers with clubs from their
+homes. Rude rhymes passed from lip to lip, full of the spirit of revolt.
+All over southern England spread the sentiment of rebellion.
+
+The incident which set flame to the fuel was this. At Dartford, in Kent,
+lived one Wat Tyler, a hardy soldier who had served in the French wars.
+To his house, in his absence, came a tax-collector, and demanded the tax
+on his daughter. The mother declared that she was not taxable, being
+under fourteen years of age. The collector thereupon seized the child in
+an insulting manner, so frightening her that her screams reached the
+ears of her father, who was at work not far off. Wat flew to the spot,
+struck one blow, and the villanous collector lay dead at his feet.
+
+Within an hour the people of the town were in arms. As the story spread
+through the country, the people elsewhere rose and put themselves under
+the leadership of Wat Tyler. In Essex was another party in arms, under a
+priest called Jack Straw. Canterbury rose in rebellion, plundered the
+palace of the archbishop, and released John Ball from the prison to
+which this "mad" socialist had been consigned. The revolt spread like
+wildfire. County after county rose in insurrection. But the heart of the
+rebellion lay in Kent, and from that county marched a hundred thousand
+men, with Wat Tyler at their head, London their goal.
+
+To Blackheath they came, the multitude swelling as it marched. Every
+lawyer they met was killed. The houses of the stewards were burned, and
+the records of the manor courts flung into the flames. A wild desire for
+liberty and equality animated the mob, yet they did no further harm. All
+travellers were stopped and made to swear that they would be true to
+King Richard and the people. The king's mother fell into their hands,
+but all the harm done her was the being made to kiss a few rough-bearded
+men who vowed loyalty to her son.
+
+The young king--then a boy of sixteen--addressed them from a boat in the
+river. But his council would not let him land, and the peasants, furious
+at his distrust, rushed upon London, uttering cries of "Treason!" The
+drawbridge of London Bridge had been raised, but the insurgents had
+friends in the city who lowered it, and quickly the capital was swarming
+with Wat Tyler's infuriated men.
+
+Soon the prisons were broken open, and their inmates had joined the
+insurgent ranks. The palace of the Duke of Lancaster, the Savoy, the
+most beautiful in England, was quickly in flames. That nobleman,
+detested by the people, had fled in all haste to Scotland. The Temple,
+the head-quarters of the lawyers, was set on fire, and its books and
+documents reduced to ashes. The houses of the foreign merchants were
+burned. There was "method in the madness" of the insurgents. They sought
+no indiscriminate ruin. The lawyers and the foreigners were their
+special detestation. Robbery was not permitted. One thief was seen with
+a silver vessel which he had stolen from the Savoy. He and his plunder
+were flung together into the flames. They were, as they boasted,
+"seekers of truth and justice, not thieves or robbers."
+
+Thus passed the first day of the peasant occupation of London, the
+people of the town in terror, the insurgents in subjection to their
+leaders, and still more so to their own ideas. Many of them were drunk,
+but no outrages were committed. The influence of one terrible example
+repressed all theft. Never had so orderly a mob held possession of so
+great a city.
+
+On the second day, Wat Tyler and a band of his followers forced their
+way into the Tower. The knights of the garrison were panic-stricken, but
+no harm was done them. The peasants, in rough good humor, took them by
+the beards, and declared that they were now equals, and that in the time
+to come they would be good friends and comrades.
+
+[Illustration: WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE.  Copyright, 1904, by Henry Froth.]
+
+But this rude jollity ceased when Archbishop Sudbury, who had been
+active in preventing the king from landing from the Thames, and the
+ministers who were concerned in the levy of the poll-tax, fell into
+their hands. Short shrift was given these detested officials. They were
+dragged to Tower Hill, and their heads struck off.
+
+"King Richard and the people!" was the rallying cry of the insurgents.
+It went ill with those who hesitated to subscribe to this sentiment. So
+evidently were the peasants friendly to the king that the youthful
+monarch fearlessly sought them at Mile End, and held a conference with
+sixty thousand of them who lay there encamped.
+
+"I am your king and lord, good people," he boldly addressed them; "what
+will ye?"
+
+"We will that you set us free forever," was the answer of the
+insurgents, "us and our lands; and that we be never named nor held for
+serfs."
+
+"I grant it," said the king.
+
+His words were received with shouts of joy. The conference then
+continued, the leaders of the peasants proposing four conditions, to all
+of which the king assented. These were, first, that neither they nor
+their descendants should ever be enslaved; second, that the rent of land
+should be paid in money at a fixed price, not in service; third, that
+they should be at liberty to buy and sell in market and elsewhere, like
+other free men; fourth, that they should be pardoned for past offences.
+
+"I grant them all," said Richard. "Charters of freedom and pardon shall
+be at once issued. Go home and dwell in peace, and no harm shall come to
+you."
+
+More than thirty clerks spent the rest of that day writing at all speed
+the pledges of amnesty promised by the king. These satisfied the bulk of
+the insurgents, who quietly left for their homes, placing all
+confidence in the smooth promises of the youthful monarch.
+
+Some interesting scenes followed their return. The gates of the Abbey of
+St. Albans were forced open, and a throng of townsmen crowded in, led by
+one William Grindcobbe, who compelled the abbot to deliver up the
+charters which held the town in serfage to the abbey. Then they burst
+into the cloister, sought the millstones which the courts had declared
+should alone grind corn at St. Albans, and broke them into small pieces.
+These were distributed among the peasants as visible emblems of their
+new-gained freedom.
+
+Meanwhile, Wat Tyler had remained in London, with thirty thousand men at
+his back, to see that the kingly pledge was fulfilled. He had not been
+at Mile End during the conference with the king, and was not satisfied
+with the demands of the peasants. He asked, in addition, that the forest
+laws should be abolished, and the woods made free.
+
+The next day came. Chance brought about a meeting between Wat and the
+king, and hot blood made it a tragedy. King Richard was riding with a
+train of some sixty gentlemen, among them William Walworth, the mayor of
+London, when, by ill hap, they came into contact with Wat and his
+followers.
+
+"There is the king," said Wat. "I will go speak with him, and tell him
+what we want."
+
+The bold leader of the peasants rode forward and confronted the monarch,
+who drew rein and waited to hear what he had to say.
+
+"King Richard," said Wat, "dost thou see all my men there?"
+
+"Ay," said the king. "Why?"
+
+"Because," said Wat, "they are all at my command, and have sworn to do
+whatever I bid them."
+
+What followed is not very clear. Some say that Wat laid his hand on the
+king's bridle, others that he fingered his dagger threateningly.
+Whatever the provocation, Walworth, the mayor, at that instant pressed
+forward, sword in hand, and stabbed the unprotected man in the throat
+before he could make a movement of defence. As he turned to rejoin his
+men he was struck a death-blow by one of the king's followers.
+
+This rash action was one full of danger. Only the ready wit and courage
+of the king saved the lives of his followers,--perhaps of himself.
+
+"Kill! kill!" cried the furious peasants, "they have killed our
+captain."
+
+Bows were bent, swords drawn, an ominous movement begun. The moment was
+a critical one. The young king proved himself equal to the occasion.
+Spurring his horse, he rode boldly to the front of the mob.
+
+"What need ye, my masters?" he cried. "That man is a traitor. I am your
+captain and your king. Follow me!"
+
+His words touched their hearts. With loud shouts of loyalty they
+followed him to the Tower, where he was met by his mother with tears of
+joy.
+
+"Rejoice and praise God," the young king said to her; "for I have
+recovered to-day my heritage which was lost, and the realm of England."
+
+It was true; the revolt was at an end. The frightened nobles had
+regained their courage, and six thousand knights were soon at the
+service of the king, pressing him to let them end the rebellion with
+sword and spear.
+
+He refused. His word had been passed, and he would live to it--at least,
+until the danger was passed. The peasants still in London received their
+charters of freedom and dispersed to their homes. The city was freed of
+the low-born multitude who had held it in mortal terror.
+
+Yet all was not over. Many of the peasants were still in arms. Those of
+St. Albans were emulated by those of St. Edmondsbury, where fifty
+thousand men broke their way into the abbey precincts, and forced the
+monks to grant a charter of freedom to the town. In Norwich a dyer,
+Littester by name, calling himself the King of the Commons, forced the
+nobles captured by his followers to act as his meat-tasters, and serve
+him on their knees during his repasts. His reign did not last long. The
+Bishop of Norwich, with a following of knights and men-at-arms, fell on
+his camp and made short work of his majesty.
+
+The king, soon forgetting his pledges, led an army of forty thousand men
+through Kent and Essex, and ruthlessly executed the peasant leaders.
+Some fifteen hundred of them were put to death. The peasants resisted
+stubbornly, but they were put down. The jurors refused to bring the
+prisoners in guilty, until they were threatened with execution
+themselves. The king and council, in the end, seemed willing to
+compromise with the peasantry, but the land-owners refused compliance.
+Their serfs were their property, they said, and could not be taken from
+them by king or parliament without their consent. "And this consent,"
+they declared, "we have never given and never will give, were we all to
+die in one day."
+
+Yet the revolt of the peasantry was not without its useful effect. From
+that time serfdom died rapidly. Wages continued to rise. A century after
+the Black Death, a laborer's work in England "commanded twice the amount
+of the necessaries of life which could have been obtained for the wages
+paid under Edward the Third." In a century and a half serfdom had almost
+vanished.
+
+Thus ended the greatest peasant outbreak that England ever knew. The
+outbreak of Jack Cade, which took place seventy years afterwards, was
+for political rather than industrial reform. During those seventy years
+the condition of the working-classes had greatly improved, and the
+occasion for industrial revolt correspondingly decreased.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WHITE ROSE OF ENGLAND._
+
+
+The wars of the White and the Red Roses were at an end, Lancaster had
+triumphed over York, Richard III., the last of the Plantagenets, had
+died on Bosworth field, and the Red Rose candidate, Henry VII., was on
+the throne. It seemed fitting, indeed, that the party of the red should
+bear the banners of triumph, for the frightful war of white and red had
+deluged England with blood, and turned to crimson the green of many a
+fair field. Two of the White Rose claimants of the throne, the sons of
+Edward IV., had been imprisoned by Richard III. in the Tower of London,
+and, so said common report, had been strangled in their beds. But their
+fate was hidden in mystery, and there were those who believed that the
+princes of the Tower still lived.
+
+One claimant to the throne, a scion of the White Rose kings, Edward,
+Earl of Warwick, was still locked up in the Tower, so closely kept from
+human sight and knowledge as to leave the field open to the claims of
+imposture. For suddenly a handsome youth appeared in Ireland declaring
+that he was the Earl of Warwick, escaped from the Tower, and asking aid
+to help him regain the throne, which he claimed as rightfully his. The
+story of this boy is a short one; the end of his career fortunately a
+comedy instead of a tragedy. In Ireland were many adherents of the house
+of York. The story of the handsome lad was believed; he was crowned at
+Dublin,--the crown being taken from the head of a statue of the Virgin
+Mary,--and was then carried home on the shoulders of a gigantic Irish
+chieftain, as was the custom in green Erin in those days.
+
+The youthful claimant had entered Ireland with a following of two
+thousand German soldiers, provided by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy,
+sister of Edward IV., who hated Henry VII. and all the party of
+Lancaster with an undying hatred. From Ireland he invaded England, with
+an Irish following added to his German. His small army was met by the
+king with an overpowering force, half of it killed, the rest scattered,
+and the young imposter taken captive.
+
+Henry was almost the first king of Norman England who was not cruel by
+instinct. He could be cruel enough by calculation, but he was not
+disposed to take life for the mere pleasure of killing. He knew this boy
+to be an impostor, since Edward, Earl of Warwick, was still in the
+Tower. The astute king deemed it wiser to make him a laughing-stock than
+a martyr. He made inquiry as to his origin. The boy proved to be the son
+of a baker of Oxford, his true name Lambert Simnel. He had been tutored
+to play the prince by an ambitious priest named Simons. This priest was
+shut up in prison, and died there. As for his pupil, the king
+contemptuously sent him into his kitchen, and condemned him to the
+servile office of turnspit. Afterwards, as young Simnel showed some
+intelligence and loyalty, he was made one of the king's falconers. And
+so ended the story of this sham Plantagenet.
+
+[Illustration: BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES.]
+
+Hardly had this ambitious boy been set to the humble work of turning a
+spit in the king's kitchen, when a new claimant of the crown
+appeared,--a far more dangerous one. It is his story to which that of
+Lambert Simnel serves as an amusing prelude.
+
+On one fine day in the year 1492--Columbus being then on his way to the
+discovery of America--there landed at Cork, in a vessel hailing from
+Portugal, a young man very handsome in face, and very winning in
+manners, who lost no time in presenting himself to some of the leading
+Irish and telling them that he was Richard, Duke of York, the second son
+of Edward IV. This story some of his hearers were not ready to believe.
+They had just passed through an experience of the same kind.
+
+"That cannot be," they said: "the sons of King Edward were murdered by
+their uncle in the Tower."
+
+"People think so, I admit," said the young stranger. "My brother _was_
+murdered there, foully killed in that dark prison. But I escaped, and
+for seven years have been wandering."
+
+The boy had an easy and engaging manner, a fluent tongue, and told so
+well-devised and probable a story of the manner of his escape, that he
+had little difficulty in persuading his credulous hearers that he was
+indeed Prince Richard. Soon he had a party at his back, Cork shouted
+itself hoarse in his favor, there was banqueting and drinking, and in
+this humble fashion the cause of the White Rose was resuscitated, the
+banners of York were again flung to the winds.
+
+We have begun our story in the middle. We must go back to its beginning.
+Margaret of Burgundy, whose hatred for the Lancastrian king was intense,
+had spread far and wide the rumor that Richard, Duke of York, was still
+alive. The story was that the villains employed by Richard III. to
+murder the princes in the Tower, had killed the elder only. Remorse had
+stricken their hardened souls, and compassion induced them to spare the
+younger, and privately to set him at liberty, he being bidden on peril
+of life not to divulge who he really was. This seed well sown, the
+astute duchess laid her plans to bring it to fruitage. A handsome youth
+was brought into her presence, a quick-witted, intelligent, crafty lad,
+with nimble tongue and unusually taking manners. Such, at least, was the
+story set afloat by Henry VII., which goes on to say that the duchess
+kept her protégé concealed until she had taught him thoroughly the whole
+story of the murdered prince, instructed him in behavior suitable to his
+assumed birth, and filled his memory with details of the boy's life and
+certain secrets he would be likely to know, while advising him how to
+avoid certain awkward questions that might be asked. The boy was quick
+to learn his lesson, the hope of becoming king of England inciting his
+naturally keen wit. This done, the duchess sent him privately to
+Portugal, knowing well that if his advent could be traced to her house
+suspicion would be aroused.
+
+This is the narrative that has been transmitted to us, but it is one
+which, it must be acknowledged, has come through suspicious channels, as
+will appear in the sequel. But whatever be the facts, it is certain that
+about this time Henry VII. declared war against France, and that the war
+had not made much progress before the youth described sailed from
+Portugal and landed in Cork, where he claimed to be Richard, Duke of
+York, and the true heir of the English throne.
+
+And now began a most romantic and adventurous career. The story of the
+advent of a prince of the house of York in Ireland made its way through
+England and France. Henry VII. was just then too busy with his French
+war to attend to his new rival; but Charles VIII. of France saw here an
+opportunity of annoying his enemy. He accordingly sent envoys to Cork,
+with an invitation to the youth to seek his court, where he would be
+acknowledged as the true heir to the royal crown of England.
+
+The astute young man lost no time in accepting the invitation. Charles
+received him with as much honor as though he were indeed a king,
+appointed him a body-guard, and spread far and wide the statement that
+the Duke of York, the rightful heir of the English crown, was at his
+court, and that he would sustain his claim. What might have come of
+this, had the war continued, we cannot say. A number of noble
+Englishmen, friends of York, made their way to Paris, and became
+believers in the story of the young adventurer. But the hopes of the
+aspirant in this quarter came to an end with the ending of the war.
+Charles's secret purpose had been to force Henry to conclude a peace,
+and in this he succeeded. He had now no further use for his young
+protégé. He had sufficient honor not to deliver him into Henry's hands,
+as he was asked to do; but he set him adrift from his own court, bidding
+him to seek his fortune elsewhere.
+
+From France the young aspirant made his way into Flanders, and presented
+himself at the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, with every appearance
+of never having been there before. He sought her, he said, as his aunt.
+The duchess received him with an air of doubt and suspicion. He was, she
+acknowledged, the image of her dear departed brother, but more evidence
+was needed. She questioned him, therefore, closely, before the members
+of her court, making searching inquiries into his earlier life and
+recollections. These he answered so satisfactorily that the duchess
+declared herself transported with astonishment and joy, and vowed that
+he was indeed her nephew, miraculously delivered from prison, brought
+from death to life, wonderfully preserved by destiny for some great
+fortune. She was not alone in this belief. All who heard his answers
+agreed with her, many of them borne away by his grace of person and
+manner and the fascination of his address. The duchess declared his
+identity beyond doubt, did him honor as a born prince, gave him a
+body-guard of thirty halberdiers, who were clad in a livery of murrey
+and blue, and called him by the taking title of the "White Rose of
+England." He seemed, indeed, like one risen from the grave to set afloat
+once more the banners of the White Rose of York.
+
+The tidings of what was doing in Flanders quickly reached England, where
+a party in favor of the aspirant's pretensions slowly grew up. Several
+noblemen joined it, discontent having been caused by certain unpopular
+acts of the king. Sir Robert Clifford sailed to Flanders, visited
+Margaret's court, and wrote back to England that there was no doubt that
+the young man was the Duke of York, whose person he knew as he knew his
+own.
+
+While these events were fomenting, secretly and openly, King Henry was
+at work, secretly and openly, to disconcert his foes. He set a guard
+upon the English ports, that no suspicious person should enter or leave
+the kingdom, and then put his wits to task to prove the falsity of the
+whole neatly-wrought tale. Two of those concerned in the murder of the
+princes were still alive,--Sir James Tirrel and John Dighton. Sir James
+claimed to have stood at the stair-foot, while Dighton and another did
+the murder, smothering the princes in their bed. To this they both
+testified, though the king, for reasons unexplained, did not publish
+their testimony.
+
+Henry also sent spies abroad, to search into the truth concerning the
+assumed adventurer. These, being well supplied with money, and bidden to
+trace every movement of the youth, at length declared that they had
+discovered that he was the son of a Flemish merchant, of the city of
+Tournay, his name Perkin Warbeck, his knowledge of the language and
+manners of England having been derived from the English traders in
+Flanders. This information, with much to support it, was set afloat in
+England, and the king then demanded of the Archduke Philip, sovereign of
+Burgundy, that he should give up this pretender, or banish him from his
+court. Philip replied that Burgundy was the domain of the duchess, who
+was mistress in her own land. In revenge, Henry closed all commercial
+communication between the two countries, taking from Antwerp its
+profitable market in English cloth.
+
+Now tragedy followed comedy. Sir Robert Clifford, who had declared the
+boy to be undoubtedly the Duke of York, suffered the king to convince
+him that he was mistaken, and denounced several noblemen as being
+secretly friends to Perkin Warbeck. These were arrested, and three of
+them beheaded, one of them, Sir William Stanley, having saved Henry's
+life on Bosworth Field. But he was rich, and a seizure of his estate
+would swell the royal coffers. With Henry VII. gold weighed heavier than
+gratitude.
+
+For three years all was quiet. Perkin Warbeck kept his princely state at
+the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, and the merchants of Flanders
+suffered heavily from the closure of the trade of Antwerp. This grew
+intolerable. The people were indignant. Something must be done. The
+pretended prince must leave Flanders, or he ran risk of being killed by
+its inhabitants.
+
+The adventurous youth was thus obliged to leave his refuge at Margaret's
+court, and now entered upon a more active career. Accompanied by a few
+hundred men, he sailed from Flanders and landed on the English coast at
+Deal. He hoped for a rising in his behalf. On the contrary, the
+country-people rose against him, killed many of his followers, and took
+a hundred and fifty prisoners. These were all hanged, by order of the
+king, along the sea-shore, as a warning to any others who might wish to
+invade England.
+
+Flanders was closed against the pretender. Ireland was similarly closed,
+for Henry had gained the Irish to his side. Scotland remained, there
+being hostility between the English and Scottish kings. Hither the
+fugitive made his way. James IV. of Scotland gave him a most encouraging
+reception, called him cousin, and in a short time married him to one of
+the most beautiful and charming ladies of his court, Lady Catharine
+Gordon, a relative of the royal house of the Stuarts.
+
+For a time now the fortunes of the young aspirant improved. Henry,
+alarmed at his progress, sought by bribery of the Scottish lords to have
+him delivered into his hands. In this he failed; James was faithful to
+his word. Soon Perkin had a small army at his back. The Duchess of
+Burgundy provided him with men, money, and arms, till in a short time he
+had fifteen hundred good soldiers under his command.
+
+With these, and with the aid of King James of Scotland, who reinforced
+his army and accompanied him in person, he crossed the border into
+England, and issued a proclamation, calling himself King Richard the
+Fourth, and offering large rewards to any one who should take or
+distress Henry Tudor, as he called the king.
+
+Unluckily for the young invader, the people of England had had enough of
+civil war. White Rose or Red Rose had become of less importance to them
+than peace and prosperity. They refused to rise in his support, and
+quickly grew to hate his soldiers, who, being of different nations, most
+of them brigandish soldiers of fortune, began by quarrelling with one
+another, and ended by plundering the country.
+
+"This is shameful," said Perkin. "I am not here to distress the English
+people. Rather than fill the country with misery, I will lose my
+rights."
+
+King James laughed at his scruples, giving him to understand that no
+true king would stop for such a trifle. But Perkin was resolute, and
+the army marched back again into Scotland without fighting a battle.
+The White Rose had shown himself unfit for kingship in those days. He
+was so weak as to have compassion for the people, if that was the true
+cause of his retreat.
+
+This invasion had one unlooked-for result. The people had been heavily
+taxed by Henry, in preparation for the expected war. In consequence the
+men of Cornwall rose in rebellion. With Flammock, a lawyer, and Joseph,
+a blacksmith, at their head, they marched eastward through England until
+within sight of London, being joined by Lord Audley and some other
+country gentlemen on their route. The king met and defeated them, though
+they fought fiercely. Lord Audley was beheaded, Flammock and Joseph were
+hanged, the rest were pardoned. And so ended this threatening
+insurrection.
+
+It was of no advantage to the wandering White Rose. He soon had to leave
+Scotland, peace having been made between the two kings. James, like
+Charles VIII. before him, was honorable and would not give him up, but
+required him to leave his kingdom. Perkin and his beautiful wife, who
+clung to him with true love, set sail for Ireland. For a third time he
+had been driven from shelter.
+
+In Ireland he found no support. The people had become friendly to the
+king, and would have nothing to do with the wandering White Rose. As a
+forlorn hope, he sailed for Cornwall, trusting that the stout Cornish
+men, who had just struck so fierce a blow for their rights, might
+gather to his support. With him went his wife, clinging with unyielding
+faith and love to his waning fortunes.
+
+He landed at Whitsand Bay, on the coast of Cornwall, issued a
+proclamation under the title of Richard the Fourth of England, and
+quickly found himself in command of a small army of Cornishmen. His wife
+he left in the castle of St. Michael's Mount, as a place of safety, and
+at the head of three thousand men marched into Devonshire. By the time
+he reached Exeter he had six thousand men under his command. They
+besieged Exeter, but learning that the king was on the march, they
+raised the siege, and advanced until Taunton was reached, when they
+found themselves in front of the king's army.
+
+The Cornishmen were brave and ready. They were poorly armed and
+outnumbered, but battle was their only thought. Such was not the thought
+of their leader. For the first time in his career he found himself face
+to face with a hostile army. He could plot, could win friends by his
+engaging manners, could do anything but fight. But now that the critical
+moment had come he found that he lacked courage. Perhaps this had as
+much as compassion to do with his former retreat to Scotland. It is
+certain that the sight of grim faces and brandished arms before him
+robbed his heart of its bravery. Mounting a swift horse, he fled in the
+night, followed by about threescore others. In the morning his men found
+themselves without a leader. Having nothing to fight for, they
+surrendered. Some few of the more desperate of them were hanged. The
+others were pardoned and permitted to return.
+
+No sooner was the discovery made that the White Rose had taken to the
+winds than horsemen were sent in speedy pursuit, one troop being sent to
+St. Michael's Mount to seize the Lady Catharine, and a second troop of
+five hundred horse to pursue the fugitive pretender, and take him, if
+possible, before he could reach the sanctuary of Beaulieu, in the New
+Forest, whither he had fled. The lady was quickly brought before the
+king. Whether or not he meant to deal harshly with her, the sight of her
+engaging face moved him to compassion and admiration. She was so
+beautiful, bore so high a reputation for goodness, and was so lovingly
+devoted to her husband, that the king was disarmed of any ill purposes
+he may have entertained, and treated her with the highest respect and
+consideration. In the end he gave her an allowance suitable to her rank,
+placed her at court near the queen's person, and continued her friend
+during life. Years after, when the story of Perkin Warbeck had almost
+become a nursery-tale, the Lady Catharine was still called by the people
+the "White Rose," as a tribute to her beauty and her romantic history.
+
+As regards the fugitive and his followers, they succeeded in reaching
+Beaulieu and taking sanctuary. The pursuers, who had failed to overtake
+them, could only surround the sanctuary and wait orders from the king.
+The astute Henry pursued his usual course, employing policy instead of
+force. Perkin was coaxed out of his retreat, on promise of good
+treatment if he should surrender, and was brought up to London, guarded,
+but not bound. Henry, who was curious to see him, contrived to do so
+from a window, screening himself while closely observing his rival.
+
+London reached, the cavalcade became a procession, the captive being led
+through the principal streets for the edification of the populace,
+before being taken to the Tower. The king had little reason to fear him.
+The pretended prince, who had run away from his army, was not likely to
+obtain new adherents. Scorn and contempt were the only manifestations of
+popular opinion.
+
+So little, indeed, did Henry dread this aspirant to the throne, that he
+was quickly released from the Tower and brought to Westminster, where he
+was treated as a gentleman, being examined from time to time regarding
+his imposture. Such parts of his confession as the king saw fit to
+divulge were printed and spread through the country, but were of a
+nature not likely to settle the difficulty. "Men missing of that they
+looked for, looked about for they knew not what, and were more in doubt
+than before, but the king chose rather not to satisfy, than to kindle
+coals."
+
+Perkin soon brought the king's complaisance to an end. His mercurial
+disposition counselled flight, and, deceiving his guards, he slipped
+from the palace and fled to the sea-shore. Here he found all avenues of
+escape closed, and so diligent was the pursuit that he quickly turned
+back, and again took sanctuary in Bethlehem priory, near Richmond. The
+prior came to the king and offered to deliver him up, asking for his
+life only. His escapade had roused anger in the court.
+
+"Take the rogue and hang him forthwith," was the hot advice of the
+king's council.
+
+"The silly boy is not worth a rope," answered the king. "Take the knave
+and set him in the stocks. Let the people see what sort of a prince this
+is."
+
+Life being promised, the prior brought forth his charge, and a few days
+after Perkin was set in the stocks for a whole day, in the palace-court
+at Westminster. The next day he was served in the same manner at
+Cheapside, in both places being forced to read a paper which purported
+to be a true and full confession of his imposture. From Cheapside he was
+taken to the Tower, having exhausted the mercy of the king.
+
+In the Tower he was placed in the company of the Earl of Warwick, the
+last of the acknowledged Plantagenets, who had been in this gloomy
+prison for fourteen years. It is suspected that the king had a dark
+purpose in this. To the one he had promised life; the other he had no
+satisfactory reason to remove; possibly he fancied that the uneasy
+temper of Perkin would give him an excuse for the execution of both.
+
+If such was his scheme, it worked well. Perkin had not been long in the
+Tower before the quick-silver of his nature began to declare itself. His
+insinuating address gained him the favor of his keepers, whom he soon
+began to offer lofty bribes to aid his escape. Into this plot he managed
+to draw the young earl. The plan devised was that the four keepers
+should murder the lieutenant of the Tower in the night, seize the keys
+and such money as they could find, and let out Perkin and the earl.
+
+It may be that the king himself had arranged this plot, and instructed
+the keepers in their parts. Certainly it was quickly divulged. And by
+strange chance, just at this period a third pretender appeared, this
+time a shoemaker's son, who, like the baker's son, pretended to be the
+Earl of Warwick. His name was Ralph Wilford. He had been taught his part
+by a priest named Patrick. They came from Suffolk and advanced into
+Kent, where the priest took to the pulpit to advocate the claims of his
+charge. Both were quickly taken, the youth executed, the priest
+imprisoned for life.
+
+And now Henry doubtless deemed that matters of this kind had gone far
+enough. The earl and his fellow-prisoner were indicted for conspiracy,
+tried and found guilty, the earl beheaded on Tower Hill, and Perkin
+Warbeck hanged at Tyburn. This was in the year 1499. It formed a
+dramatic end to the history of the fifteenth century, being the closing
+event in the wars of the White and the Red Roses, the death of the last
+Plantagenet and of the last White Rose aspirant to the throne.
+
+In conclusion, the question may be asked, Who was Perkin Warbeck? All we
+know of him is the story set afloat by Henry VII., made up of accounts
+told by his spies and a confession wrested from a boy threatened with
+death. That he was taught his part by Margaret of Burgundy we have only
+this evidence for warrant. He was publicly acknowledged by this lady,
+the sister of Edward IV., was married by James of Scotland to a lady of
+royal blood, was favorably received by many English lords, and was
+widely believed, in view of the mystery surrounding the fate of the
+princes, to be truly the princely person he declared himself. However
+that be, his story is a highly romantic one, and forms a picturesque
+closing scene to the long drama of the Wars of the Roses.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD._
+
+
+It was the day fixed for the opening of the most brilliant pageant known
+to modern history. On the green space in front of the dilapidated castle
+of Guisnes, on the soil of France, but within what was known as the
+English pale, stood a summer palace of the amplest proportions and the
+most gorgeous decorations, which was furnished within with all that
+comfort demanded and art and luxury could provide. Let us briefly
+describe this magnificent palace, which had been prepared for the
+temporary residence of the English king.
+
+The building was of wood, square in shape, each side being three hundred
+and twenty-eight feet long. On every side were oriel-windows and
+curiously glazed clerestories, whose mullions and posts were overlaid
+with gold. In front of the grand entrance stood an embattled gate-way,
+having on each side statues of warriors in martial attitudes. From the
+gate to the palace sloped upward a long passage, flanked with images in
+bright armor and presenting "sore and terrible countenances." This led
+to an embowered landing-place, where, facing the great doors, stood
+antique figures girt with olive-branches.
+
+Interiorly the palace halls and chambers were superbly decorated, white
+silk forming the ceilings of the passages and galleries, from which
+depended silken hangings of various colors and braided cloths, "which
+showed like bullions of fine braided gold." Roses set in lozenges, on a
+golden ground-work, formed the chamber ceilings. The wall spaces were
+decorated with richly carved and gilt panels, while embroidered silk
+tapestry hung from the windows and formed the walls of the corridors. In
+the state apartments the furniture was of princely richness, the whole
+domains of art and industry having been ransacked to provide their most
+splendid belongings. Exteriorly the building presented an equally ornate
+appearance, glass, gold-work, and ornamental hangings quite concealing
+the carpentry, so that "every quarter of it, even the least, was a
+habitation fit for a prince."
+
+To what end, in the now far-away year of 1520, and in that rural
+locality, under the shadows of a castle which had fallen into
+irredeemable ruin, had such an edifice been built,--one which only the
+revenues of a kingdom, in that day, could have erected? Its purpose was
+a worthy one. France and England, whose intercourse for centuries had
+been one of war, were now to meet in peace. Crecy and Agincourt had been
+the last meeting-places of the monarchs of these kingdoms, and death and
+ruin had followed their encounters. Now Henry the Eighth of England and
+Francis the First of France were to meet in peace and amity, spending
+the revenues of their kingdoms not for armor of linked mail and
+death-dealing weapons, but for splendid attire and richest pageantry, in
+token of friendship and fraternity between the two realms.
+
+A century had greatly changed the relations of England and France. In
+1420 Henry V. had recently won the great victory of Agincourt, and
+France lay almost prostrate at his feet. In 1520 the English possessions
+in France were confined to the seaport of Calais and a small district
+around it known as the "English pale." The castle of Guisnes stood just
+within the English border, the meeting between the two monarchs being
+fixed at the line of separation of the two kingdoms.
+
+The palace we have described, erected for the habitation of King Henry
+and his suite, had been designed and ordered by Cardinal Wolsey, to
+whose skill in pageantry the management of this great festival had been
+consigned. Extensive were the preparations alike in England and in
+France. All that the island kingdom could furnish of splendor and riches
+was provided, not alone for the adornment of the king and his guard, but
+for the host of nobles and the multitude of persons of minor estate, who
+came in his train, the whole following of the king being nearly four
+thousand persons, while more than a thousand formed the escort of the
+queen. For the use of this great company had been brought nearly four
+thousand richly-caparisoned horses, with vast quantities of the other
+essentials of human comfort and regal display.
+
+While England had been thus busy in preparing for the pageant, France
+had been no less active. Arde, a town near the English pale, had been
+selected as the dwelling-place of Francis and his train. As for the
+splendor of adornment of those who followed him, there seems to have
+been almost nothing worn but silks, velvets, cloth of gold and silver,
+jewels and precious stones, such being the costliness of the display
+that a writer who saw it humorously says, "Many of the nobles carried
+their castles, woods, and farms upon their backs."
+
+Magnificent as was the palace built for Henry and his train, the
+arrangements for the French king and his train were still more imposing.
+The artistic taste of the French was contrasted with the English love
+for solid grandeur. Francis had proposed that both parties should lodge
+in tents erected on the field, and in pursuance of this idea there had
+been prepared "numerous pavilions, fitted up with halls, galleries, and
+chambers ornamented within and without with gold and silver tissue.
+Amidst golden balls and quaint devices glittering in the sun, rose a
+gilt figure of St. Michael, conspicuous for his blue mantle powdered
+with golden _fleurs-de-lis_, and crowning a royal pavilion of vast
+dimensions supported by a single mast. In his right hand he held a dart,
+in his left a shield emblazoned with the arms of France. Inside, the
+roof of the pavilion represented the canopy of heaven ornamented with
+stars and figures of the zodiac. The lodgings of the queen, of the
+Duchess d'Alençon, the king's favorite sister, and of other ladies and
+princes of the blood, were covered with cloth of gold. The rest of the
+tents, to the number of three or four hundred, emblazoned with the arms
+of their owners, were pitched on the banks of a small river outside the
+city walls."
+
+No less abundant provision had been made for the residence of the
+English visitors. When King Henry looked from the oriel windows of his
+fairy palace, he saw before him a scene of the greatest splendor and the
+most incessant activity. The green space stretching southward from the
+castle was covered with tents of all shapes and sizes, many of them
+brilliant with emblazonry, while from their tops floated rich-colored
+banners and pennons in profusion. Before each tent stood a sentry, his
+lance-point glittering like a jewel in the rays of the June sun. Here
+richly-caparisoned horses were prancing, there sumpter mules laden with
+supplies, and decorated with ribbons and flowers, made their slow way
+onward. Everywhere was movement, everywhere seemed gladness; merriment
+ruled supreme, the hilarity being doubtless heightened by frequent
+visits to gilded fountains, which spouted forth claret and hypocras into
+silver cups from which all might drink. Never had been seen such a
+picture in such a place. The splendor of color and decoration of the
+tents, the shining armor and gorgeous dresses of knights and nobles, the
+brilliancy of the military display, the glittering and gleaming effect
+of the pageant as a whole, rendering fitly applicable the name by which
+this royal festival has since been known, "The Field of the Cloth of
+Gold."
+
+Two leagues separated Arde and Guisnes, two leagues throughout which the
+spectacle extended, rich tents and glittering emblazonry occupying the
+whole space, the canvas habitations of the two nations meeting at the
+dividing-line between England and France. It was a splendid avenue
+arranged for the movements of the monarchs of these two great kingdoms.
+
+Such was the scene: what were the ceremonies? They began with a grand
+procession, headed by Cardinal Wolsey, who, as representative of the
+king of England, made the first move in the game of ostentation. Before
+him rode fifty gentlemen, each wearing a great gold chain, while their
+horses were richly caparisoned with crimson velvet. His ushers, fifty
+other gentlemen, followed, bearing maces of gold which at one end were
+as large as a man's head. Next came a dignitary in crimson velvet,
+proudly carrying the cardinal's cross of gold, adorned with precious
+stones. Four lackeys, attired in cloth of gold and with magnificent
+plumed bonnets in their hands, followed. Then came the cardinal himself,
+man and horse splendidly equipped, his strong and resolute face full of
+the pride and arrogance which marked his character, his bearing that of
+almost regal ostentation. After him followed an array of bishops and
+other churchmen, while a hundred archers of the king's guard completed
+the procession.
+
+Reaching Arde, the cardinal dismounted in front of the royal tent, and,
+in the stateliest manner, did homage in his masters name to Francis, who
+received him with a courteous display of deference and affection. The
+next day the representatives of France returned this visit, with equal
+pomp and parade, and with as kindly a reception from Henry, while the
+English nobles feasted those of France in their lordliest fashion, so
+boisterous being their hospitality that they fairly forced their
+visitors into their tents.
+
+These ceremonial preliminaries passed, the meeting of the two sovereigns
+came next in order. Henry had crossed the channel to greet Francis;
+Francis agreed to be the first to cross the frontier to greet him. June
+7 was the day fixed. On this day the king of France left his tent amid
+the roar of cannon, and, followed by a noble retinue in cloth of gold
+and silver, made his way to the frontier, where was set up a gorgeous
+pavilion, in whose decorations the heraldries of England and France were
+commingled. In this handsome tent the two monarchs were to confer.
+
+About the same time Henry set out, riding a powerful stallion, nobly
+caparisoned. At the border-line between English and French territory the
+two monarchs halted, facing each other, each still on his own soil. Deep
+silence prevailed in the trains, and every eye was fixed on the two
+central figures.
+
+They were strongly contrasted. Francis was tall but rather slight in
+figure, and of delicate features. Henry was stout of form, and massive
+but handsome of face. He had not yet attained those swollen proportions
+of face and figure in which history usually depicts him. Their attire
+was as splendid as art and fashion could produce. Francis was dressed in
+a mantle of cloth of gold, which fell over a jewelled cassock of gold
+frieze. He wore a bonnet of ruby velvet enriched with gems, while the
+front and sleeves of his mantle were splendid with diamonds, rubies,
+emeralds, and "ropes of pearls." He rode a "beautiful horse covered with
+goldsmith's work."
+
+Henry was dressed in cloth of silver damask, studded with gems, and
+ribbed with gold cloth, while his horse was gay with trappings of gold,
+embroidery and mosaic work. Altogether the two men were as splendid in
+appearance as gold, silver, jewelry, and the costliest tissues could
+make them,--and as different in personal appearance as two men of the
+same race could well be.
+
+[Illustration: HENRY THE EIGHTH.]
+
+The occasion was not alone a notable one, it was to some extent a
+critical one. For centuries the meetings of French and English kings had
+been hostile; could they now be trusted to be peaceful? Might not the
+sword of the past be hidden in the olive-branch of the present? Suppose
+the lords of France should seize and hold captive the English king, or
+the English lords act with like treachery towards the French king, what
+years of the out-pouring of blood and treasure might follow!
+Apprehensions of such treachery were not wanting. The followers of
+Francis looked with doubt on the armed men in Henry's escort. The
+English courtiers in like manner viewed with eyes of question the
+archers and cavaliers in the train of Francis. Lord Abergavenny ran to
+King Henry as he was about to mount for the ride to the French frontier.
+
+"Sire," he said, anxiously, "ye be my lord and sovereign; wherefore,
+above all, I am bound to show you the truth and not be let for none. I
+have been in the French party, and they be more in number,--double so
+many as ye be."
+
+"Sire," answered Lord Shrewsbury, "whatever my lord of Abergavenny
+sayeth, I myself have been there, and the Frenchmen be more in fear of
+you and your subjects than your subjects be of them. Wherefore, if I
+were worthy to give counsel, your grace should march forward."
+
+Bluff King Harry had no thought of doing anything else. The doubt which
+shook the souls of some of his followers, did not enter his.
+
+"So we intend, my lord," he briefly answered, and rode forward.
+
+For a moment the two kings remained face to face, gazing upon each other
+in silence. Then came a burst of music, and, spurring their horses, they
+galloped forward, and in an instant were hand in hand. Three times they
+embraced; then, dismounting, they again embraced, and walked arm in arm
+towards the pavilion. Brief was the conference within, the constables of
+France and England keeping strict ward outside, with swords held at
+salute. Not till the monarchs emerged was the restraint broken. Then
+Henry and Francis were presented to the dignitaries of the opposite
+nation, their escorts fraternized, barrels of wine were broached, and as
+the wine-cups were drained the toast, "Good friends, French and
+English," was cheerily repeated from both sides. The nobles were
+emulated in this by their followers, and the good fellowship of the
+meeting was signalized by abundant revelry, night only ending the
+merrymaking.
+
+Friday, Saturday, and Sunday passed in exchange of courtesies, and in
+preparations for the tournament which was to be the great event of the
+occasion. On Sunday afternoon Henry crossed the frontier to do homage to
+the queen of France, and Francis offered the same tribute to the English
+queen. Henry rode to Arde in a dress that was heavy with gold and
+jewels, and was met by the queen and her ladies, whose beauty was
+adorned with the richest gems and tissues and the rarest laces that the
+wealth and taste of the time could command. The principal event of the
+reception was a magnificent dinner, whose service was so rich and its
+viands so rare and costly that the chronicler confesses himself unequal
+to the task of describing it. Music, song, and dancing filled up the
+intervals between the courses, and all went merrily until five o'clock,
+when Henry took his leave, entertaining the ladies as he did so with an
+exhibition of his horsemanship, he making his steed to "bound and
+curvet as valiantly as man could do." On his road home he met Francis,
+returning from a like reception by the queen of England. "What cheer?"
+asked the two kings as they cordially embraced, with such a show of
+amity that one might have supposed them brothers born.
+
+The next day was that set for the opening of the tournament. This was to
+be held in a park on the high ground between Arde and Guisnes. On each
+side of the enclosed space long galleries, hung with tapestry, were
+erected for the spectators, a specially-adorned box being prepared for
+the two queens. Triumphal arches marked each entrance to the lists, at
+which stood French and English archers on guard. At the foot of the
+lists was erected the "tree of noblesse," on which were to be hung the
+shields of those about to engage in combat. It bore "the noble thorn
+[the sign of Henry] entwined with raspberry" [the sign of Francis];
+around its trunk was wound cloth of gold and green damask; its leaves
+were formed of green silk, and the fruit that hung from its limb was
+made of silver and Venetian gold.
+
+Henry and Francis, each supported by some eighteen of their noblest
+subjects, designed to hold the lists against all comers, it being,
+however, strictly enjoined that sharp-pointed weapons should not be
+used, lest serious accidents, as in times past, might take place.
+Various other rules were made, of which we shall only name that which
+required the challenger who was worsted in any combat to give "a gold
+token to the lady in whose cause the comer fights."
+
+Shall we tell the tale of this show of mimic war? Splendid it was, and,
+unlike the tournaments of an older date, harmless. The lists were nine
+hundred feet long and three hundred and twenty broad, the galleries
+bordering them being magnificent with their hosts of richly-attired
+lords and ladies and the vari-colored dresses of the archers and others
+of lesser blood. For two days, Monday and Thursday, Henry and Francis
+held the lists. In this sport Henry displayed the skill and prowess of a
+true warrior. Francis could scarcely wield the swords which his brother
+king swept in circles around his head. When he spurred, with couched
+lance, upon an antagonist, his ease and grace aroused the plaudits of
+the spectators, which became enthusiastic as saddle after saddle was
+emptied by the vigor of his thrust.
+
+Next to Henry in strength and prowess was Charles Brandon, Duke of
+Suffolk, who vied with the king for the honors of the field. "The king
+of England and Suffolk did marvels," says the chronicler. On the days
+when the monarchs did not appear in the field lesser knights strove for
+the honors of the joust, wrestling-matches helped to amuse the multitude
+of spectators, and the antics of mummers wound up the sports of the day.
+Only once did Henry and Francis come into friendly contest. This was in
+a wrestling-match, from which the French king, to the surprise of the
+spectators, carried off the honors. By a clever twist of the wrestler's
+art, he managed to throw his burly brother king. Henry's face was red
+with the hot Tudor blood when he rose, his temper had been lost in his
+fall, and there was anger in the tone in which he demanded a renewal of
+the contest. But Francis was too wise to fan a triumph into a quarrel,
+and by mild words succeeded in smoothing the frown from Henry's brow.
+
+For some two weeks these entertainments lasted, the genial June sun
+shining auspiciously upon the lists. From the galleries shone two minor
+luminaries, the queens of England and France, who were always present,
+"with their ladies richly dressed in jewels, and with many chariots,
+litters, and hackneys covered with cloth of gold and silver, and
+emblazoned with their arms." They occupied a glazed gallery hung with
+tapestry, where they were often seen in conversation, a pleasure not so
+readily enjoyed by their ladies in waiting, most of whom had to do their
+talking through the vexatious aid of an interpreter.
+
+During most of the time through which the tournament extended the
+distrust of treachery on one side or the other continued. Francis never
+entered the English pale unless Henry was on French soil. Henry was
+similarly distrustful. Or, rather, the distrust lay in the advisers of
+the monarchs, and as the days went on grew somewhat offensive. Francis
+was the first to break it, and to show his confidence in the good faith
+of his brother monarch. One morning early he crossed the frontier and
+entered the palace at Guisnes while Henry was still in bed, or, as some
+say, was at breakfast. To the guards at the gate he playfully said,
+"Surrender your arms, you are all my prisoners; and now conduct me to my
+brother of England." He accosted Henry with the utmost cordiality,
+embracing him and saying, in a merry tone,--
+
+"Here you see I am your prisoner."
+
+"My brother," cried Henry, with the wannest pleasure, "you have played
+me the most agreeable trick in the world, and have showed me the full
+confidence I may place in you. I surrender myself your prisoner from
+this moment."
+
+Costly presents passed between the two monarchs, and from that moment
+all restraint was at an end. Each rode to see the other when he chose,
+their attendants mingled with the same freedom and confidence, and
+during the whole time not a quarrel, or even a dispute, arose between
+the sons of England and France. In the lists they used spear and sword
+with freedom, but out of them they were the warmest of friends.
+
+On Sunday, June 24, the tournament closed with a solemn mass sung by
+Wolsey, who was assisted by the ecclesiastics of the two lands. When the
+gospels were presented to the two kings to kiss, there was a friendly
+contest as to who should precede. And at the _Agnus Dei_, when the _Pax_
+was presented to the two queens, a like contest arose, which ended in
+their kissing each other in lieu of the sacred emblem.
+
+At the close of the services a showy piece of fireworks attracted the
+attention of the spectators. "There appeared in the air from Arde a
+great artificial salamander or dragon, four fathoms long and full of
+fire; many were frightened, thinking it a comet or some monster, as they
+could see nothing to which it was attached; it passed right over the
+chapel to Guisnes as fast as a footman can go, and as high as a bolt
+from a cross-bow." A splendid banquet followed, which concluded the
+festivities of the "Field of the Cloth of Gold." The two kings entered
+the lists again, but now only to exchange farewells. Henry made his way
+to Calais; Francis returned to Abbeyville: the great occasion was at an
+end.
+
+What was its result? Amity between the two nations; a century of peace
+and friendship? Not so. In a month Henry had secretly allied himself to
+Charles the Fifth against Francis of France. In five years was fought
+the battle of Pavia, between France and the Emperor Charles, in which
+Francis, after showing great valor on the field, was taken prisoner.
+"All is lost, except honor," he wrote. Such was the sequel of the "Field
+of the Cloth of Gold."
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF ARABELLA STUART._
+
+
+Of royal blood was the lady here named, near to the English throne. Too
+near, as it proved, for her own comfort and happiness, for her life was
+distracted by the fears of those that filled it. Her story, in
+consequence, became one of the romances of English history.
+
+"The Lady Arabella," as she was called, was nearly related to Queen
+Elizabeth, and became an object of jealous persecution by that royal
+lady. The great Elizabeth had in her disposition something of the dog in
+the manger. She would not marry herself, and thus provide for the
+succession to the throne, and she was determined that the fair Arabella
+should not perform this neglected duty. Hence Arabella's misery.
+
+The first thing we hear of this unfortunate scion of royal blood
+concerns a marriage. The whole story of her life, in fact, is concerned
+with marriage, and its fatal ending was the result of marriage. Never
+had a woman been more sought in marriage; never more hindered; her life
+was a tragedy of marriage.
+
+Her earlier story may be briefly given. James VI. of Scotland, cousin of
+the Lady Arabella, chose as a husband for her another cousin, Lord Esme
+Stuart, Duke of Lennox, his proposed heir. The match was a desirable
+one, but Queen Elizabeth forbade the banns. She threw the lady into a
+prison, and defied King James when he demanded her delivery, not
+hesitating to speak with contempt of her brother monarch.
+
+The next to choose a husband for Arabella was the pope, who would have
+been delighted to provide a Catholic for the succession to the English
+throne. A prince of the house of Savoy was the choice of his holiness.
+The Duke of Parma was married, and his brother was a cardinal, and
+therefore unmarriageable, but the pope had the power to overcome the
+difficulty which this created. He secularized the churchman, and made
+him an eligible aspirant for the lady's hand. But, as may well be
+supposed, Elizabeth decisively vetoed this chimerical plan.
+
+To escape from the plots of scheming politicians, the Lady Arabella now
+took the task in her own hand, proposing to marry a son of the Earl of
+Northumberland. Unhappily, Elizabeth would none of it. To her jealous
+fancy an English earl was more dangerous than a Scotch duke. Thus went
+on this extraordinary business till Elizabeth died, and King James of
+Scotland, whom she had despised, became her successor on the throne, she
+having paved the way to his succession by her neglect to provide an heir
+for it herself, and her insensate determination to prevent Arabella
+Stuart from doing so.
+
+James was now king. He had chosen a husband for his cousin Arabella
+before. It was a natural presumption that he would not object to her
+marriage now. But if Elizabeth was jealous, he was suspicious. A foolish
+plot was made by some unimportant individuals to get rid of the Scottish
+king and place Arabella on the English throne. A letter to this effect
+was sent to the lady. She laughed at it, and sent it to the king, who,
+probably, did not consider it a laughing-matter.
+
+This was in 1603. In 1604 the king of Poland is said to have asked for
+the lady's hand in marriage. Count Maurice, Duke of Guildres, was also
+spoken of as a suitable match. But James had grown as obdurate as
+Elizabeth,--and with as little sense and reason. The lady might enjoy
+life in single blessedness as she pleased, but marry she should not.
+"Thus far to the Lady Arabella crowns and husbands were like a fairy
+banquet seen at moonlight opening on her sight, impalpable, and
+vanishing at the moment of approach."
+
+Several years now passed, in which the lady lived as a dependant on the
+king's bounty, and in which, so far as we know, no thoughts of marriage
+were entertained. At least, no projects of marriage were made public,
+whatever may have been the lady's secret thoughts and wishes. Then came
+the romantic event of her life,--a marriage, and its striking
+consequences. It is this event which has made her name remembered in the
+romance of history.
+
+Christmas of 1608 had passed, and the Lady Arabella was still unmarried;
+the English crown had not tottered to its fall through the entrance of
+this fair maiden into the bonds of matrimony. The year 1609 began, and
+terror seized the English court; this insatiable woman was reaching out
+for another husband! This time the favored swain was Mr. William
+Seymour, the second son of Lord Beauchamp, and grandson of the earl of
+Hertford. He was a man of admired character, a studious scholar in times
+of peace, an ardent soldier in times of war. He and Arabella had known
+each other from childhood.
+
+In February the daring rebellion of the Lady Arabella became known, and
+sent its shaft of terror to the heart of King James. The woman was at it
+again, wanting to marry; she must be dealt with. She and Seymour were
+summoned before the privy council and sharply questioned. Seymour was
+harshly censured. How dared he presume to seek an alliance with one of
+royal blood, he was asked, in blind disregard of the fact that royal
+blood ran in his own veins.
+
+He showed fitting humility before the council, pleading that he meant no
+offence. Thus he told the dignified councillors the story of his
+wooing,--
+
+"I boldly intruded myself into her ladyship's chamber in this court on
+Candlemas-day last, at which time I imparted my desire unto her, which
+was entertained, but with this caution on either part, that both of us
+resolved not to proceed to any final conclusion without his Majesty's
+most gracious favor first obtained. And this was our first meeting.
+After this we had a second meeting at Brigg's house in Fleet Street, and
+then a third at Mr. Baynton's; at both of which we had the like
+conference and resolution as before."
+
+Neither of them would think of marrying without "his Majesty's most
+gracious favor," they declared. This favor could not be granted. The
+safety of the English crown had to be considered. The lovers were
+admonished by the privy council and dismissed.
+
+But love laughs at privy councils, as well as at locksmiths. This time
+the Lady Arabella was not to be hindered. She and Seymour were secretly
+married, without regard to "his Majesty's most gracious favor," and
+enjoyed a short period of connubial bliss in defiance of king and
+council.
+
+Their offence was not discovered till July of the following year. It
+roused a small convulsion in court circles. The king had been defied.
+The culprits must be punished. The lovers--for they were still
+lovers--were separated, Seymour being sent to the Tower, for "his
+contempt in marrying a lady of the royal family without the king's
+leave;" the lady being confined at the house of Sir Thomas Parry, at
+Lambeth.
+
+Their confinement was not rigorous. The lady was allowed to walk in the
+garden. The gentleman was given the freedom of the Tower. Letters seem
+to have passed between them. From one of these ancient love-letters we
+may quote the affectionate conclusion. Seymour had taken cold. Arabella
+writes:
+
+"I do assure you that nothing the State can do with me can trouble me so
+much as this news of your being ill doth; and, you see, when I am
+troubled I trouble you with too tedious kindness, for so I think you
+will account so long a letter, yourself not having written to me this
+good while so much as how you do. But, sweet sir, I speak not of this to
+trouble you with writing but when you please. Be well, and I shall
+account myself happy in being
+
+"Your faithful, loving wife.
+
+  ARB. S."
+
+They wrote too much, it seems. Their correspondence was discovered.
+Trouble ensued. The king determined to place the lady in closer
+confinement under the bishop of Durham.
+
+Arabella was in despair when this news was brought her. She grew so ill
+from her depression of spirits that she could only travel to her new
+place of detention in a litter and under the care of a physician. On
+reaching Highgate she had become unfit to proceed, her pulse weak, her
+countenance pale and wan. The doctor left her there and returned to
+town, where he reported to the king that the lady was too sick to
+travel.
+
+"She shall proceed to Durham if I am king," answered James, with his
+usual weak-headed obstinacy.
+
+"I make no doubt of her obedience," answered the doctor.
+
+"Obedience is what I require," replied the king. "That given, I will do
+more for her than she expects."
+
+He consented, in the end, that she should remain a month at Highgate,
+under confinement, at the end of which time she should proceed to
+Durham. The month passed. She wrote a letter to the king which procured
+her a second month's respite. But that time, too, passed on, and the day
+fixed for her further journey approached.
+
+The lady now showed none of the wild grief which she had at first
+displayed. She was resigned to her fate, she said, and manifested a
+tender sorrow which won the hearts of her keepers, who could not but
+sympathize with a high-born lady thus persecuted for what was assuredly
+no crime, if even a fault.
+
+At heart, however, she was by no means so tranquil as she seemed. Her
+communications with Seymour had secretly continued, and the two had
+planned a wildly-romantic project of escape, of which this seeming
+resignation was but part. The day preceding that fixed for her departure
+arrived. The lady had persuaded an attendant to aid her in paying a last
+visit to her husband, whom she declared she must see before going to her
+distant prison. She would return at a fixed hour. The attendant could
+wait for her at an appointed place.
+
+This credulous servant, led astray, doubtless, by sympathy with the
+loving couple, not only consented to the request, but assisted the lady
+in assuming an elaborate disguise.
+
+"She drew," we are told, "a pair of large French-fashioned hose or
+trousers over her petticoats, put on a man's doublet or coat, a peruke
+such as men wore, whose long locks covered her own ringlets, a black
+hat, a black coat, russet boots with red tops, and a rapier by her side.
+Thus accoutred, the Lady Arabella stole out with a gentleman about three
+o'clock in the afternoon. She had only proceeded a mile and a half when
+they stopped at a post-inn, where one of her confederates was waiting
+with horses; yet she was so sick and faint that the hostler who held her
+stirrup observed that the gentleman could hardly hold out to London."
+
+But the "gentleman" grew stronger as she proceeded. The exercise of
+riding gave her new spirit. Her pale face grew rosy; her strength
+increased; by six o'clock she reached Blackwall, where a boat and
+servants were waiting. The plot had been well devised and all the
+necessary preparations made.
+
+The boatmen were bidden to row to Woolwich. This point reached, they
+were asked to proceed to Gravesend. Then they rowed on to Tilbury. By
+this time they were fatigued, and landed for rest and refreshment. But
+the desired goal had not yet been reached, and an offer of higher pay
+induced them to push on to Lee.
+
+Here the fugitive lady rested till daybreak. The light of morn
+discovered a French vessel at anchor off the harbor, which was quickly
+boarded. It had been provided for the escape of the lovers. But Seymour,
+who had planned to escape from the Tower and meet her here, had not
+arrived. Arabella was desirous that the vessel should continue at anchor
+until he appeared. If he should fail to come she did not care to
+proceed. The land that held her lord was the land in which she wished to
+dwell, even if they should be parted by fate and forced to live asunder.
+
+This view did not please those who were aiding her escape. They would be
+pursued, and might be overtaken. Delay was dangerous. In disregard of
+her wishes, they ordered the captain to put to sea. As events turned
+out, their haste proved unfortunate for the fair fugitive, and the
+"cause of woes unnumbered" to the loving pair.
+
+Leaving her to her journey, we must return to the adventures of Seymour.
+Prisoner at large, as he was, in the Tower, escape proved not difficult.
+A cart had entered the enclosure to bring wood to his apartment. On its
+departure he followed it through the gates, unobserved by the warder.
+His servant was left behind, with orders to keep all visitors from the
+room, on pretence that his master was laid up with a raging toothache.
+
+Reaching the river, the escaped prisoner found a man in his confidence
+in waiting with a boat. He was rowed down the stream to Lee, where he
+expected to find his Arabella in waiting. She was not there, but in the
+distance was a vessel which he fancied might have her on board. He
+hired a fisherman to take him out. Hailing the vessel, he inquired its
+name, and to his grief learned that it was not the French ship which had
+been hired for the lovers' flight. Fate had separated them. Filled with
+despair, he took passage on a vessel from Newcastle, whose captain was
+induced, for a fair consideration, to alter his course. In due time he
+landed in Flanders, free, but alone. He was never to set eyes on
+Arabella Stuart again.
+
+Meanwhile, the escape of the lady from Highgate had become known, and
+had aroused almost as much alarm as if some frightful calamity had
+overtaken the State. Confusion and alarm pervaded the court. The
+Gunpowder Plot itself hardly shook up the gray heads of King James's
+cabinet more than did the flight of this pair of parted doves. The wind
+seemed to waft peril. The minutes seemed fraught with threats. Couriers
+were despatched in all haste to the neighboring seaports, and hurry
+everywhere prevailed.
+
+A messenger was sent to the Tower, bidding the lieutenant to guard
+Seymour with double vigilance. To the surprise of the worthy lieutenant,
+he discovered that Seymour was not there to be guarded. The bird had
+flown. Word of this threw King James into a ludicrous state of terror.
+He wished to issue a vindictive proclamation, full of hot fulminations,
+and could scarcely be persuaded by his minister to tone down his foolish
+utterances. The revised edict was sent off with as much speed as if an
+enemy's fleet were in the offing, the courier being urged to his utmost
+despatch, the postmasters aroused to activity by the stirring
+superscription, "Haste, haste, post-haste! Haste for your life, your
+life!" One might have thought that a new Norman invasion was threatening
+the coast, instead of a pair of new-married lovers flying to finish
+their honey-moon in peace and freedom abroad.
+
+[Illustration: ROTTEN ROW. LONDON.]
+
+When news of what had happened reached the family of the Seymours, it
+threw them into a state of alarm not less than that of the king. They
+knew what it meant to offend the crown. The progenitor of the family,
+the Duke of Somerset, had lost his head through some offence to a king,
+and his descendants had no ambition to be similarly curtailed of their
+natural proportions. Francis Seymour wrote to his uncle, the Earl of
+Hertford, then distant from London, telling the story of the flight of
+his brother and the lady. This letter still exists, and its appearance
+indicates the terror into which it threw the earl. It reached him at
+midnight. With it came a summons to attend the privy council. He read it
+apparently by the light of a taper, and with such agitation that the
+sheet caught fire. The scorched letter still exists, and is burnt
+through at the most critical part of its story. The poor old earl
+learned enough to double his terror, and lost the section that would
+have alleviated it. He hastened up to London in a state of doubt and
+fear, not knowing but that he was about to be indicted for high
+treason.
+
+Meanwhile, what had become of the disconsolate Lady Arabella? The poor
+bride found herself alone upon the seas, mourning for her lost Seymour,
+imploring her attendants to delay, straining her eyes in hopes of seeing
+some boat bearing to her him she so dearly loved. It was in vain. No
+Seymour appeared. And the delay in her flight proved fatal. The French
+ship which bore her was overtaken in Calais roads by one of the king's
+vessels which had been so hastily despatched in pursuit, and the lady
+was taken on board and brought back, protesting that she cared not what
+became of her if her dear Seymour should only escape.
+
+The story ends mournfully. The sad-hearted bride was consigned to an
+imprisonment that preyed heavily upon her. Never very strong, her sorrow
+and depression of spirits reduced her powers, while, with the hope that
+she might die the sooner, she refused the aid of physicians. Grief,
+despair, intense emotion, in time impaired her reason, and at the end of
+four years of prison life she died, her mind having died before. Rarely
+has a simple and innocent marriage produced such sad results through the
+uncalled-for jealousy of kings. The sad romance of the poor Lady
+Arabella's life was due to the fact that she had an unreasonable woman
+to deal with in Elizabeth, and a suspicious fool in James. Sound
+common-sense must say that neither had aught to gain from this
+persecution of the poor lady, who they were so obstinately determined
+should end life a maid.
+
+Seymour spent some years abroad, and then was permitted to return to
+England. His wife was dead; the king had naught to fear. He lived
+through three successive reigns, distinguishing himself by his loyalty
+to James and his two successors, and to the day of his death retaining
+his warm affection for his first love. He married again, and to the
+daughter born from this match he gave the name of Arabella Stuart, in
+token of his undying attachment to the lady of his life's romance.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE'S KNIGHT-ERRANT._
+
+
+On the 18th of February, 1623, two young men, Tom and John Smith by
+name, plainly dressed and attended by one companion in the attire of an
+upper-servant, rode to the ferry at Gravesend, on the Thames. They wore
+heavy beards, which did not look altogether natural, and had pulled
+their hats well down over their foreheads, as if to hide their faces
+from prying eyes. They seemed a cross between disguised highwaymen and
+disguised noblemen.
+
+The ancient ferryman looked at them with some suspicion as they entered
+his boat, asking himself, "What lark is afoot with these young bloods?
+There's mischief lurking under those beards."
+
+His suspicions were redoubled when his passengers, in arbitrary tones,
+bade him put them ashore below the town, instead of at the usual
+landing-place. And he became sure that they were great folks bent on
+mischief when, on landing, one of them handed him a gold-piece for his
+fare, and rode away without asking for change.
+
+"Aha! my brisk lads, I have you now," he said, with a chuckle. "There's
+a duel afoot. Those two youngsters are off for the other side of the
+Channel, to let out some angry blood, and the other goes along as second
+or surgeon. It's very neat, but the law says nay; and I know my duty. I
+am not to be bought off with a piece of gold."
+
+Pocketing his golden fare, he hastened to the nearest magistrate, and
+told his story and his suspicion. The magistrate agreed with him, and at
+once despatched a post-boy to Rochester, with orders to have the
+doubtful travellers stopped. Away rode the messenger at haste, on one of
+the freshest horses to be found in Gravesend stables. But his steed was
+no match for the thoroughbreds of the suspected wayfarers, and they had
+left the ancient town of Rochester in the rear long before he reached
+its skirts.
+
+Rochester passed, they rode briskly onward, conversing with the gay
+freedom of frolicsome youth; when, much to their alarm as it seemed,
+they saw in the road before them a stately train. It consisted of a
+carriage that appeared royal in its decorations and in the glittering
+trappings of its horses, beside which rode two men dressed like
+noblemen, following whom came a goodly retinue of attendants.
+
+The young wayfarers seemed to recognize the travellers, and drew up to a
+quick halt, as if in alarm.
+
+"Lewknor and Mainwaring, by all that's unlucky!" said the one known as
+Tom Smith.
+
+"And a carriage-load of Spanish high mightiness between them; for that's
+the ambassador on his way to court," answered John Smith. "It's all up
+with our escapade if they get their eyes on us. We must bolt."
+
+"How and whither?"
+
+"Over the hedge and far away."
+
+Spurring their horses, they broke through the low hedge that bordered
+the road-side, and galloped at a rapid pace across the fields beyond.
+The approaching party viewed this movement with lively suspicion.
+
+"Who can they be?" queried Sir Lewis Lewknor, one of the noblemen.
+
+His companion, who was no less a personage than Sir Henry Mainwaring,
+lieutenant of Dover Castle, looked questioningly after the fugitives.
+
+"They are well mounted and have the start on us. We cannot overtake
+them," he muttered.
+
+"You know them, then?" asked Lewknor.
+
+"I have my doubt that two of them are the young Barneveldts, who have
+just tried to murder the Prince of Orange. They must be stopped and
+questioned."
+
+He turned and bade one of his followers to ride back with all speed to
+Canterbury, and bid the magistrates to detain three suspicious
+travellers, who would soon reach that town. This done, the train moved
+on, Mainwaring satisfied that he had checked the runaways, whoever they
+were.
+
+The Smiths and their attendant reached Canterbury in good time, but this
+time they were outridden. Mainwaring's messenger had got in before them,
+and the young adventurers found themselves stopped by a mounted guard,
+with the unwelcome tidings that his honor, the mayor, would like to see
+them.
+
+Being brought before his honor, they blustered a little, talked in big
+tones of the rights of Englishmen, and asked angrily who had dared order
+their detention. They found master mayor cool and decided.
+
+"Gentlemen, you will stay here till I know better who you are," he said.
+"Sir Henry Mainwaring has ordered you to be stopped, and he best knows
+why. Nor do I fancy he has gone amiss, for your names of Tom and John
+Smith fit you about as well as your beards."
+
+At these words, the one that claimed the name of John Smith burst into a
+hearty laugh. Seizing his beard, he gave it a slight jerk, and it came
+off in his hand. The mayor started in surprise. The face before him was
+one that he very well knew.
+
+"The Marquis of Buckingham!" he exclaimed.
+
+"The same, at your service," said Buckingham, still laughing.
+"Mainwaring takes me for other than I am. Likely enough he deems me a
+runaway road-agent. You will scarcely stop the lord admiral, going in
+disguise to Dover to make a secret inspection of the fleet?"
+
+"Why, that certainly changes the case," said the mayor. "But who is your
+companion?" he continued, in a low tone, looking askance at the other.
+
+"A young gallant of the court, who keeps me company," said Buckingham,
+carelessly.
+
+"The road is free before you, gentlemen," said the mayor, graciously. "I
+will answer to Mainwaring."
+
+He turned and bade his guards to deliver their horses to the travellers.
+But his eyes followed them with a peculiar twinkle as they left the
+room.
+
+"A young gallant of the court!" he muttered. "I have seen that gallant
+before. Well, well, what mad frolic is afoot? Thank the stars, I am not
+bound, by virtue of my office, to know him."
+
+The party reached Dover without further adventure. But the inspection of
+the fleet was evidently an invention for the benefit of the mayor.
+Instead of troubling themselves about the fleet, they entered a vessel
+that seemed awaiting them, and on whose deck they were joined by two
+companions. In a very short time they were out of harbor and off with a
+fresh wind across the Channel. Mainwaring had been wrong,--was the
+ferryman right?--was a duel the purpose of this flight in disguise?
+
+No; the travellers made no halt at Boulogne, the favorite
+duelling-ground of English hot-bloods, but pushed off in haste for
+Montreuil, and thence rode straight to Paris, which they reached after a
+two-days' journey.
+
+It seemed an odd freak, this ride in disguise for the mere purpose of a
+visit to Paris. But there was nothing to indicate that the two young men
+had any other object as they strolled carelessly during the next day
+about the French capital, known to none there, and enjoying themselves
+like school-boys on a holiday.
+
+Among the sights which they managed to see were the king, Louis XIII.,
+and his royal mother, Marie de Medicis. That evening a mask was to be
+rehearsed at the palace, in which the queen and the Princess Henrietta
+Maria were to take part. On the plea of being strangers in Paris, the
+two young Englishmen managed to obtain admittance to this royal
+merrymaking, which they highly enjoyed. As to what they saw, we have a
+partial record in a subsequent letter from one of them.
+
+"There danced," says this epistle, "the queen and madame, with as many
+as made up nineteen fair dancing ladies; amongst which the queen is the
+handsomest, which hath wrought in me a greater desire to see her
+sister."
+
+This sister was then at Madrid, for the queen of France was a daughter
+of Philip III. of Spain. And, as if Spain was the true destination of
+the travellers, and to see the French queen's sister their object, at
+the early hour of three the next morning they were up and on horseback,
+riding out of Paris on the road to Bayonne. Away they went, pressing
+onward at speed, he whom we as yet know only as Tom Smith taking the
+lead, and pushing forward with such youthful eagerness that even the
+seasoned Buckingham looked the worse for wear before they reached the
+borders of Spain.
+
+Who was this eager errant knight? All London by this time knew, and it
+is time that we should learn. Indeed, while the youthful wayfarers were
+speeding away on their mad and merry ride, the privy councillors of
+England were on their knees before King James, half beside themselves
+with apprehension, saying that Prince Charles had disappeared, that the
+rumor was that he had gone to Spain, and begging to know if this wild
+rumor were true.
+
+"There is no doubt of it," said the king. "But what of that? His father,
+his grandfather, and his great-grandfather all went into foreign
+countries to fetch home their wives,--why not the prince, my son?"
+
+"England may learn why," was the answer of the alarmed councillors, and
+after them of the disturbed country. "The king of Spain is not to be
+trusted with such a royal morsel. Suppose he seizes the heir to
+England's throne, and holds him as hostage! The boy is mad, and the king
+in his dotage to permit so wild a thing." Such was the scope of general
+comment on the prince's escapade.
+
+While England fumed, and King James had begun to fret in chorus with the
+country, his "sweet boys and dear venturous knights, worthy to be put in
+a new romanso," as he had remarked on first learning of their flight,
+were making their way at utmost horse-speed across France. A few miles
+beyond Bayonne they met a messenger from the Earl of Bristol, ambassador
+at Madrid, bearing despatches to England. They stopped him, opened his
+papers, and sought to read them, but found the bulk of them written in a
+cipher beyond their powers to solve. Baffled in this, they bade Gresley,
+the messenger, to return with them as far as Irun, as they wished him to
+bear to the king a letter written on Spanish soil.
+
+No great distance farther brought them to the small river Bidassoa, the
+Rubicon of their journey. It formed the boundary between France and
+Spain. On reaching its southern bank they stood on the soil of the land
+of the dons, and the truant prince danced for joy, filled with delight
+at the success of his runaway prank. Gresley afterwards reported in
+England that Buckingham looked worn from his long ride, but that he had
+never seen Prince Charles so merry.
+
+Onward through this new kingdom went the youthful scapegraces, over the
+hills and plains of Spain, their hearts beating with merry
+music,--Buckingham gay from his native spirit of adventure, Charles
+eager to see in knight-errant fashion the charming infanta of Spain, of
+whom he had seen, as yet, only the "counterfeit presentment," and a view
+of whom in person was the real object of his journey. So ardent were the
+two young men that they far outrode their companions, and at eight
+o'clock in the evening of March 7, seventeen days after they had left
+Buckingham's villa at Newhall, the truant pair were knocking briskly at
+the door of the Earl of Bristol at Madrid.
+
+Wilder and more perilous escapade had rarely been adventured. The king
+had let them go with fear and trembling. Weak-willed monarch as he was,
+he could not resist Buckingham's persuasions, though he dreaded the
+result. The uncertain temper of Philip of Spain was well-known, the
+preliminaries of the marriage which had been designed between Charles
+and the infanta were far from settled, the political relations between
+England and Spain were not of the most pacific, and it was within the
+bounds of probability that Philip might seize and hold the heir of
+England. It would give him a vast advantage over the sister realm, and
+profit had been known to outweigh honor in the minds of potentates.
+
+Heedless of all this, sure that his appearance would dispel the clouds
+that hung over the marriage compact and shed the sunshine of peace and
+union over the two kingdoms, giddy with the hopefulness of youth, and
+infected with Buckingham's love of gallantry and adventure, Charles
+reached Madrid without a thought of peril, wild to see the infanta in
+his new rôle of knight-errant, and to decide for himself whether the
+beauty and accomplishments for which she was famed were as patent to his
+eye as to the voice of common report, and such as made her worthy the
+love of a prince of high degree.
+
+Such was the mood and such the hopes with which the romantic prince
+knocked at Lord Bristol's door. But such was not the feeling with which
+the practised diplomat received his visitors. He saw at a glance the
+lake of possible mischief before him; yet he was versed in the art of
+keeping his countenance serene, and received his guests as cordially as
+if they had called on him in his London mansion.
+
+Bristol would have kept the coming of the prince to himself, if it had
+been possible. But the utmost he could hope was to keep the secret for
+that night, and even in this he failed. Count Gondomar, a Spanish
+diplomat, called on him, saw his visitors, and while affecting ignorance
+was not for an instant deceived. On leaving Bristol's house he at once
+hurried to the royal palace, and, filled with his weighty tidings, burst
+upon Count Olivares, the king's favorite, at supper. Gondomar's face was
+beaming. Olivares looked at him in surprise.
+
+"What brings you so late?" he asked. "One would think that you had got
+the king of England in Madrid."
+
+"If I have not got the king," replied Gondomar, "at least I have got the
+prince. You cannot ask a rarer prize."
+
+Olivares sat stupefied at the astounding news. As soon as he could find
+words he congratulated Gondomar on his important tidings and quickly
+hastened to find the king, who was in his bed-chamber, and whom he
+astonished with the tale he had to tell.
+
+The monarch and his astute minister earnestly discussed the subject in
+all its bearings. On one point they felt sure. The coming of Charles to
+Spain was evidence to them that he intended to change his religion and
+embrace the Catholic faith. He would never have ventured otherwise. But,
+to "make assurance doubly sure," Philip turned to a crucifix which stood
+at the head of his bed, and swore on it that the coming of the Prince of
+Wales should not induce him to take a step in the marriage not favored
+by the pope, even if it should involve the loss of his kingdom.
+
+"As to what is temporal and mine," he said, to Olivares, "see that all
+his wishes are gratified, in consideration of the obligation under which
+he has placed us by coming here."
+
+Meanwhile, Bristol spent the night in the false belief that the secret
+was still his own. He summoned Gondomar in the morning, told him, with a
+show of conferring a favor, of what had occurred, and bade him to tell
+Olivares that Buckingham had arrived, but to say nothing about the
+prince. That Gondomar consented need not be said. He had already told
+all there was to tell. In the afternoon Buckingham and Olivares had a
+brief interview in the gardens of the palace. After nightfall the
+English marquis had the honor of kissing the hand of his Catholic
+Majesty, Philip IV. of Spain. He told the king of the arrival of Prince
+Charles, much to the seeming surprise of the monarch, who had learned
+the art of keeping his countenance.
+
+During the next day a mysterious silence was preserved concerning the
+great event, through certain unusual proceedings took place. Philip,
+with the queen, his sister, the infanta, and his two brothers, drove
+backward and forward through the streets of Madrid. In another carriage
+the Prince of Wales made a similarly stately progress through the same
+streets, the purpose being to yield him a passing glimpse of his
+betrothed and the royal family. The streets were thronged, all eyes
+were fixed on the coach containing the strangers, yet silence reigned.
+The rumor had spread far and wide who those strangers were, but it was a
+secret, and no one must show that the secret was afoot. Yet, though
+their voices were silent, their hearts were full of triumph in the
+belief that the future king of England had come with the purpose of
+embracing the national faith of Spain.
+
+At the end of the procession Olivares joined the prince and told him
+that his royal master was dying to speak with him, and could scarcely
+restrain himself. An interview was quickly arranged, its locality to be
+the coach of the king. Meanwhile, Olivares sought Buckingham.
+
+"Let us despatch this matter out of hand," he said, "and strike it up
+without the pope."
+
+"Very well," answered Buckingham; "but how is it to be done?"
+
+"The means are very easy," said Olivares, lightly. "It is but the
+conversion of the prince, which we cannot conceive but his highness
+intended when he resolved upon this journey."
+
+This belief was a very natural one. The fact of Charles being a
+Protestant had been the stumbling-block in the way of the match. A
+dispensation for the marriage of a Catholic princess with the Protestant
+prince of England had been asked from the pope, but had not yet been
+given. Charles had come to Madrid with the empty hope that his presence
+would cut the knot of this difficulty, and win him the princess out of
+hand. The authorities and the people, on the contrary, fancied that
+nothing less than an intention to turn Catholic could have brought him
+to Spain. As for the infanta herself, she was an ardent Catholic, and
+bitterly opposed to being united in marriage to a heretic prince. Such
+was the state of affairs that prevailed. The easy pathway out of the
+difficulty which the hopeful prince had devised was likely to prove not
+quite free from thorns.
+
+[Illustration: THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID.]
+
+The days passed on. Buckingham declared to Olivares that Charles had no
+thought of becoming a Catholic. Charles avoided the subject, and talked
+only of his love. The Spanish ministers blamed Bristol for his
+indecision, and had rooms prepared for the prince in the royal palace.
+Charles willingly accepted them, and on the 16th of March rode through
+the streets of Madrid, on the right hand of the king, to his new abode.
+
+The people were now permitted to applaud to their hearts' desire, as no
+further pretence of a secret existed. Glad acclamations attended the
+progress of the royal cortége. The people shouted with joy, and all,
+high and low, sang a song composed for the occasion by Lope de Vega, the
+famous dramatist, which told how Charles had come, under the guidance of
+love, to the Spanish sky to see his star Maria.
+
+  "Carlos Estuardo soy
+  Que, siendo amor mi guia,
+  Al cielo d'España voy
+  Por ver mi estrella Maria."
+
+The palace was decorated with all its ancient splendor, the streets
+everywhere showed signs of the public joy, and, as a special mark of
+royal clemency, all prisoners, except those held for heinous crimes,
+were set at liberty, among them numerous English galley-slaves, who had
+been captured in pirate vessels preying upon Spanish commerce.
+
+Yet all this merrymaking and clemency, and all the negotiations which
+proceeded in the precincts of the palace, did not expedite the question
+at issue. Charles had no thought of becoming a Catholic. Philip had
+little thought of permitting a marriage under any other conditions. The
+infanta hated the idea of the sacrifice, as she considered it. The
+authorities at Rome refused the dispensation. The wheels of the whole
+business seemed firmly blocked.
+
+Meanwhile, Charles had seen the infanta again, somewhat more closely
+than in a passing glance from a carriage, and though no words had passed
+between them, her charms of face strongly attracted his susceptible
+heart. He was convinced that he deeply loved her, and he ardently
+pressed for a closer interview. This Spanish etiquette hindered, and it
+was not until April 7, Easter Day, that a personal interview was granted
+the ardent lover. On that day the king, accompanied by a train of
+grandees, led the English prince to the apartments of the queen, who sat
+in state, with the infanta by her side.
+
+Greeting the queen with proper respect, Charles turned to address the
+lady of his love. A few ceremonial words had been set down for him to
+utter, but his English heart broke the bonds of Spanish etiquette, and,
+forgetting everything but his passion, he began to address the princess
+in ardent words of his own choice. He had not gone far before there was
+a sensation. The persons present began to whisper. The queen looked with
+angry eyes on the presuming lover. The infanta was evidently annoyed.
+Charles hesitated and stopped short. Something seemed to have gone
+wrong. The infanta answered his eager words with a few cold,
+common-place sentences; a sense of constraint and uneasiness appeared to
+haunt the apartment; the interview was at an end. English ideas of
+love-making had proved much too unconventional for a Spanish court.
+
+From that day forward the affair dragged on with infinite deliberation,
+the passion of the prince growing stronger, the aversion of the infanta
+seemingly increasing, the purpose of the Spanish court to mould the
+ardent lover to its own ends appearing more decided.
+
+While Charles showed his native disposition by prevarication, Buckingham
+showed his by an impatience that soon led to anger and insolence. The
+wearisome slowness of the negotiations ill suited his hasty and
+arbitrary temper, he quarrelled with members of the State Council, and,
+in an interview between the prince and the friars, he grew so incensed
+at the demands made that, in disregard of all the decencies of
+etiquette, he sprang from his seat, expressed his contempt for the
+ecclesiastics by insulting gestures, and ended by flinging his hat on
+the ground and stamping on it. That conference came to a sudden end.
+
+As the stay of the prince in Madrid now seemed likely to be protracted,
+attendants were sent him from England that he might keep up, some show
+of state. But the Spanish court did not want them, and contrived to make
+their stay so unpleasant and their accommodations so poor, that Charles
+soon packed the most of them off home again.
+
+"I am glad to get away," said one of these, James Eliot by name, to the
+prince; "and hope that your Highness will soon leave this pestiferous
+Spain. It is a dangerous place to alter a man and turn him. I myself in
+a short time have perceived my own weakness, and am almost turned."
+
+"What motive had you?" asked Charles. "What have you seen that should
+turn you?"
+
+"Marry," replied Eliot, "when I was in England, I turned the whole Bible
+over to find Purgatory, and because I could not find it there I believed
+there was none. But now that I have come to Spain, I have found it here,
+and that your Highness is in it; whence that you may be released, we,
+your Highness's servants, who are going to Paradise, will offer unto God
+our utmost devotions."
+
+A purgatory it was,--a purgatory lightened for Charles by love, he
+playing the rôle assigned by Dante to Paolo, though the infanta was
+little inclined to imitate Francesca da Rimini. Buckingham fumed and
+fretted, was insolent to the Spanish ministers, and sought as earnestly
+to get Charles out of Madrid as he had done to get him there, and less
+successfully. But the love-stricken prince had become impracticable. His
+fancy deepened as the days passed by. Such was the ardor of his passion,
+that on one day in May he broke headlong through the rigid wall of
+Spanish etiquette, by leaping into the garden in which the lady of his
+love was walking, and addressing her in words of passion. The startled
+girl shrieked and fled, and Charles was with difficulty hindered from
+following her.
+
+Only one end could come of all this. Spain and the pope had the game in
+their own hands. Charles had fairly given himself over to them, and his
+ardent passion for the lady weakened all his powers of resistance. King
+James was a slave to his son, and incapable of refusing him anything.
+The end of it all was that the English king agreed that all persecution
+of Catholics in England should come to an end, without a thought as to
+what the parliament might say to this hasty promise, and Charles signed
+papers assenting to all the Spanish demands, excepting that he should
+himself become a Catholic.
+
+The year wore wearily on till August was reached. England and her king
+were by this time wildly anxious that the prince should return. Yet he
+hung on with the pitiful indecision that marked his whole life, and it
+is not unlikely that the incident which induced him to leave Spain at
+last was a wager with Bristol, who offered to risk a ring worth one
+thousand pounds that the prince would spend his Christmas in Madrid.
+
+It was at length decided that he should return, the 2d of September
+being the day fixed upon for his departure. He and the king enjoyed a
+last hunt together, lunched under the shadows of the trees, and bade
+each other a seemingly loving farewell. Buckingham's good-by was of a
+different character. It took the shape of a violent quarrel with
+Olivares, the Spanish minister of state. And home again set out the
+brace of knights-errant, not now in the simple fashion of Tom and John
+Smith, but with much of the processional display of a royal cortége.
+Then it was a gay ride of two ardent youths across France and Spain, one
+filled with thoughts of love, the other with the spirit of adventure.
+Now it was a stately, almost a regal, movement, with anger as its
+source, disappointment as its companion. Charles had fairly sold himself
+to Philip, and yet was returning home without his bride. Buckingham, the
+nobler nature of the two, had by his petulance and arrogance kept
+himself in hot water with the Spanish court. Altogether, the adventure
+had not been a success.
+
+The bride was to follow the prince to England in the spring. But the
+farther he got from Madrid the less Charles felt that he wanted her. His
+love, which had grown as he came, diminished as he went. It had then
+spread over his fancy like leaves on a tree in spring; now it fell from
+him like leaves from an October tree. It had been largely made up, at
+the best, of fancy and vanity, and blown to a white heat by the
+obstacles which had been thrown in his way. It cooled with every mile
+that took him from Madrid.
+
+To the port of Santander moved the princely train. As it entered that
+town, the bells were rung and cannon fired in welcoming peals. A fleet
+lay there, sent to convey him home, one of the ships having a
+gorgeously-decorated cabin for the infanta,--who was not there to occupy
+it.
+
+Late in the day as it was, Charles was so eager to leave the detested
+soil of Spain, that he put off in a boat after nightfall for the fleet.
+It was a movement not without its peril. The wind blew, the tide was
+strong, the rowers proved helpless against its force, and the boat with
+its precious freight would have been carried out to sea had not one of
+the sailors managed to seize a rope that hung by the side of a ship
+which they were being rapidly swept past. In a few minutes more the
+English prince was on an English deck.
+
+For some days the wind kept the fleet at Santander. All was cordiality
+and festivity between English and Spaniards. Charles concealed his
+change of heart. Buckingham repressed his insolence. On the 18th of
+September the fleet weighed anchor and left the coast of Spain. On the
+5th of October Prince Charles landed at Portsmouth, his romantic
+escapade happily at an end.
+
+He hurried to London with all speed. But rapidly as he went, the news
+of his coming had spread before him. He came without a Spanish bride.
+The people, who despised the whole business and feared its results, were
+wild with delight. When Charles landed from the barge in which he had
+crossed the Thames, he found the streets thronged with applauding
+people, he heard the bells on every side merrily ringing, he heard the
+enthusiastic people shouting, "Long live the Prince of Wales!" All
+London was wild with delight. Their wandering prince had been lost and
+was found again.
+
+The day was turned into a holiday. Tables loaded with food and wine were
+placed in the streets by wealthy citizens, that all who wished might
+partake. Prisoners for debt were set at liberty, their debts being paid
+by persons unknown to them. A cart-load of felons on its way to the
+gallows at Tyburn was turned back, it happening to cross the prince's
+path, and its inmates gained an unlooked-for respite. When night fell
+the town blazed out in illumination, candles being set in every window,
+while bonfires blazed in the streets. In the short distance between St.
+Paul's and London Bridge flamed more than a hundred piles. Carts laden
+with wood were seized by the populace, the horses taken out and the
+torch applied, cart and load together adding their tribute of flame.
+Never had so sudden and spontaneous an ebullition of joy broken out in
+London streets. The return of the prince was a strikingly different
+affair from that mad ride in disguise a few months before, which spread
+suspicion at every step, and filled England with rage when the story
+became known.
+
+We have told the story of the prince's adventure; a few words will tell
+the end of his love-affair. As for Buckingham, he had left England as a
+marquis, he came back with the title of duke. King James had thus
+rewarded him for abetting the folly of his son. The Spanish marriage
+never took place. Charles's love had been lost in his journey home. He
+brought scarce a shred of it back to London. The temper of the English
+people in regard to the concessions to the Catholics was too outspokenly
+hostile to be trifled with. Obstacles arose in the way of the marriage.
+It was postponed. Difficulties appeared on both sides of the water.
+Before the year ended all hopes of it were over, and the negotiations at
+an end. Prince Charles finally took for wife that Princess Henrietta
+Maria of France whom he and Buckingham had first seen dancing in a royal
+masque, during their holiday visit in disguise to Paris. The romance of
+his life was over. The reality was soon to begin.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TAKING OF PONTEFRACT CASTLE._
+
+
+On the top of a lofty hill, with a broad outlook over the counties of
+Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, stood Pontefract Castle, a
+strong work belonging to the English crown, but now in the hands of
+Cromwell's men, and garrisoned by soldiers of the Parliamentary army.
+The war, indeed, was at an end, King Charles in prison, and Cromwell
+lord of the realm, so that further resistance seemed useless.
+
+But now came a rising in Scotland in favor of the king, and many of the
+royalists took heart again, hoping that, while Cromwell was busy with
+the Scotch, there would be risings elsewhere. In their view the war was
+once more afoot, and it would be a notable deed to take Pontefract
+Castle from its Puritan garrison and hold it for the king. Such were the
+inciting causes to the events of which we have now to speak.
+
+There was a Colonel Morrice, who, as a very young man, had been an
+officer in the king's army. He afterwards joined the army of the
+Parliament, where he made friends and did some bold service. Later on,
+the strict discipline of Cromwell's army offended this versatile
+gentleman, and he threw up his commission and retired to his estates,
+where he enjoyed life with much of the Cavalier freedom.
+
+Among his most intimate friends was the Parliamentary governor of
+Pontefract Castle, who enjoyed his society so greatly that he would
+often have him at the castle for a week at a time, they sleeping
+together like brothers. The confiding governor had no suspicion of the
+treasonable disposition of his bed-fellow, and, though warned against
+him, would not listen to complaint.
+
+Morrice was familiar with the project to surprise the fortress, at the
+head of which was Sir Marmaduke Langdale, an old officer of the king. To
+one of the conspirators he said,--
+
+"Do not trouble yourself about this matter. I will surprise the castle
+for you, whenever you think the time ripe for it."
+
+This gentleman thereupon advised the conspirators to wait, and to trust
+him to find means to enter the stronghold. As they had much confidence
+in him, they agreed to his request, without questioning him too closely
+for the grounds of his assurance. Meanwhile, Morrice went to work.
+
+"I should counsel you to take great care that you have none but faithful
+men in the garrison," he said to the governor. "I have reason to suspect
+that there are men in this neighborhood who have designs upon the
+castle; among them some of your frequent visitors."
+
+He gave him a list of names, some of them really conspirators, others
+sound friends of the Parliament.
+
+"You need hardly be troubled about these fellows, however," he said. "I
+have a friend in their counsel, and am sure to be kept posted as to
+their plans. And for that matter I can, in short notice, bring you forty
+or fifty safe men to strengthen your garrison, should occasion arise."
+
+He made himself also familiar with the soldiers of the garrison, playing
+and drinking with them; and when sleeping there would often rise at
+night and visit the guards, sometimes inducing the governor, by
+misrepresentations, to dismiss a faithful man, and replace him by one in
+his own confidence.
+
+So the affair went on, Morrice laying his plans with much skill and
+caution. As it proved, however, the conspirators became impatient to
+execute the affair before it was fully ripe. Scotland was in arms; there
+were alarms elsewhere in the kingdom; Cromwell was likely to have enough
+to occupy him; delay seemed needless. They told the gentleman who had
+asked them to wait that he must act at once. He in his turn advised
+Morrice, who lost no time in completing his plans.
+
+On a certain night fixed by him the surprise-party were to be ready with
+ladders, which they must erect in two places against the wall. Morrice
+would see that safe sentinels were posted at these points. At a signal
+agreed upon they were to mount the ladders and break into the castle.
+
+The night came. Morrice was in the castle, where he shared the
+governor's bed. At the hour arranged he rose and sought the walls. He
+was just in time to prevent the failure of the enterprise. Unknown to
+him, one of the sentinels had been changed. Those without gave the
+signal. One of the sentinels answered it. The surprise-party ran forward
+with both ladders.
+
+Morrice, a moment afterwards, heard a cry of alarm from the other
+sentinel, and hasting forward found him running back to call the guard.
+He looked at him. It was the wrong man! There had been some mistake.
+
+"What is amiss?" he asked.
+
+"There are men under the wall," replied the soldier. "Some villainy is
+afoot."
+
+"Oh, come, that cannot be."
+
+"It is. I saw them."
+
+"I don't believe you, sirrah," said Morrice, severely. "You have been
+frightened by a shadow. Come, show me the place. Don't make yourself a
+laughing-stock for your fellows."
+
+The sentinel turned and led the way to the top of the wall. He pointed
+down.
+
+"There; do you see?" he asked.
+
+His words stopped there, for at that instant he found himself clasped by
+strong arms, and in a minute more was thrown toppling from the wall.
+Morrice had got rid of the dangerous sentry.
+
+By this time the ladders were up, and some of those without had reached
+the top of the wall. They signalled to their friends at a distance, and
+rushed to the court of guard, whose inmates they speedily mastered,
+after knocking two or three of them upon the head. The gates were now
+thrown open, and a strong body of horse and foot who waited outside rode
+in.
+
+The castle was won. Morrice led a party to the governor's chamber, told
+him that "the castle was surprised and himself a prisoner," and advised
+him to surrender. The worthy governor seized his arms and dealt some
+blows, but was quickly disarmed, and Pontefract was again a castle of
+the king.
+
+So ended the first act in this drama. There was a second act to be
+played, in which Cromwell was to take a hand. The garrison was quickly
+reinforced by royalists from the surrounding counties; the castle was
+well provisioned and its fortifications strengthened; contributions were
+raised from neighboring parts; and the marauding excursions of the
+garrison soon became so annoying that an earnest appeal was made to
+Cromwell, "that he would make it the business of his army to reduce
+Pontefract."
+
+Just then Cromwell had other business for his army. The Scots were in
+the field. He was marching to reduce them. Pontefract must wait. He
+sent, however, two or three regiments, which, with aid from the
+counties, he deemed would be sufficient for the work.
+
+Events moved rapidly. Before the Parliamentarian troops under
+Rainsborough reached the castle, Cromwell had met and defeated the army
+of Scots, taking, among other prisoners, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, whom
+the Parliament threatened to make "an example of their justice."
+
+The men of Pontefract looked on Sir Marmaduke as their leader.
+Rainsborough was approaching the castle, but was still at some distance.
+It was deemed a worthy enterprise to take him prisoner, if possible and
+hold him as hostage for Sir Marmaduke. Morrice took on himself this
+difficult and dangerous enterprise.
+
+At nightfall, with a party of twelve picked and choice men, he left the
+castle and made his way towards the town which Rainsborough then
+occupied. The whole party knew the roads well, and about daybreak
+reached the point for which they had aimed,--the common road leading
+from York. The movement had been shrewdly planned. The guards looked for
+no enemy from this direction, and carelessly asked the party of strange
+horsemen "whence they came."
+
+The answer was given with studied ease and carelessness.
+
+"Where is your general?" asked Morrice. "I have a letter for him from
+Cromwell."
+
+The guard sent one of their number with the party to show them where
+Rainsborough might be found,--at the best inn of the town. When the
+inn-gate was opened in response to their demand, three only of the party
+entered. The others rode onward to the bridge at the opposite end of the
+town, on the road leading to Pontefract. Here they found a guard of
+horse and foot, with whom they entered into easy conversation.
+
+"We are waiting for our officer," they said. "He went in to speak to
+the general. Is there anything convenient to drink? We have had a dry
+ride."
+
+The guards sent for some drink, and, it being now broad day, gave over
+their vigilance, some of the horse-soldiers alighting, while the footmen
+sought their court of guard, fancying that their hour of duty was
+passed.
+
+Meanwhile, tragical work was going on at the inn. Nobody had been awake
+there but the man who opened the gate. They asked him where the general
+lay. He pointed up to the chamber-door, and two of them ascended the
+stairs, leaving the third to hold the horses and in conversation with
+the soldier who had acted as their guide.
+
+Rainsborough was still in bed, but awakened on their entrance and asked
+them who they were and what they wanted.
+
+"It is yourself we want," they replied. "You are our prisoner. It is for
+you to choose whether you prefer to be killed, or quietly to put on your
+clothes, mount a horse which is ready below for you, and go with us to
+Pontefract."
+
+He looked at them in surprise. They evidently meant what they said;
+their voices were firm, their arms ready; he rose and dressed quickly.
+This completed, they led him down-stairs, one of them carrying his
+sword.
+
+When they reached the street only one man was to be seen. The soldier of
+the guard had been sent away to order them some breakfast. The
+prisoner, seeing one man only where he had looked for a troop,
+struggled to escape and called loudly for help.
+
+It was evident that he could not be carried off; the moment was
+critical; a few minutes might bring a force that it would be madness to
+resist; but they had not come thus far and taken this risk for nothing.
+He would not go; they had no time to force him; only one thing remained:
+they ran him through with their swords and left him dead upon the
+ground. Then, mounting, they rode in haste for the bridge.
+
+Those there knew what they were to do. The approach of their comrades
+was the signal for action. They immediately drew their weapons and
+attacked those with whom they had been in pleasant conversation. In a
+brief time several of the guard were killed and the others in full
+flight. The road was clear. The others came up. A minute more and they
+were away, in full flight, upon the shortest route to Pontefract,
+leaving the soldiers of the town in consternation, for the general was
+soon found dead, with no one to say how he had been killed. Not a soul
+had seen the tragic deed. In due time Morrice and his men reached
+Pontefract, without harm to horse or man, but lacking the hoped-for
+prisoner, and having left death and vengeance behind them.
+
+So far all had gone well with the garrison. Henceforth all promised to
+go ill. Pontefract was the one place in England that held out against
+Cromwell, the last stronghold of the king. And its holders had angered
+the great leader of the Ironsides by killing one of his most valued
+officers. Retribution was demanded. General Lambert was sent with a
+strong force to reduce the castle.
+
+The works were strong, and not easily to be taken by assault. They might
+be taken by hunger. Lambert soon had the castle surrounded, cooping the
+garrison closely within its own precincts.
+
+Against this they protested,--in the martial manner. Many bold sallies
+were made, in which numbers on both sides lost their lives. Lambert soon
+discovered that certain persons in the country around were in
+correspondence with the garrison, sending them information. Of these he
+made short work, according to the military ethics of that day. They were
+seized and hanged within sight of the castle, among them being two
+divines and some women of note, friends of the besieged. Some might call
+this murder. They called it war,--a salutary example.
+
+Finding themselves closely confined within their walls, their friends
+outside hanged, no hope of relief, starvation their ultimate fate, the
+garrison concluded at length that it was about time to treat for terms
+of peace. All England besides was in the hands of Cromwell and the
+Parliament; there was nothing to be gained by this one fortress holding
+out, unless it were the gallows. They therefore offered to deliver up
+the castle, if they might have honorable conditions. If not, they
+said,--
+
+"We are still well stocked with provisions, and can hold out for a long
+time. If we are assured of pardon we will yield; if not, we are ready to
+die, and will not sell our lives for less than a good price."
+
+"I know you for gallant men," replied Lambert, "and am ready to grant
+life and liberty to as many of you as I can. But there are six among you
+whose lives I cannot save. I am sorry for this, for they are brave men;
+but my hands are bound."
+
+"Who are the six? And what have they done that they should be beyond
+mercy?"
+
+"They were concerned in the death of Rainsborough. I do not desire their
+death, but Cromwell is incensed against them."
+
+He named the six. They were Colonel Morrice, Sir John Digby, and four
+others who had been in the party of twelve.
+
+"These must be delivered up without conditions," he continued. "The rest
+of you may return to your homes, and apply to the Parliament for release
+from all prosecution. In this I will lend you my aid."
+
+The leaders of the garrison debated this proposal, and after a short
+time returned their answer.
+
+"We acknowledge your clemency and courtesy," they said, "and would be
+glad to accept your terms did they not involve a base desertion of some
+of our fellows. We cannot do as you say, but will make this offer. Give
+us six days, and let these six men do what they can to deliver
+themselves, we to have the privilege of assisting them. This much we ask
+for our honor."
+
+"Do you agree to surrender the castle and all within it at the end of
+that time?" asked Lambert.
+
+"We pledge ourselves to that."
+
+"Then I accept your proposal. Six days' grace shall be allowed you."
+
+Just what they proposed to do for the release of their proscribed
+companions did not appear. The castle was closely and strongly invested,
+and these men were neither rats nor birds. How did they hope to escape?
+
+The first day of the six passed and nothing was done. A strong party of
+the garrison had made its appearance two or three times, as if resolved
+upon a sally; but each time they retired, apparently not liking the
+outlook. On the second day they were bolder. They suddenly appeared at a
+different point from that threatened the day before, and attacked the
+besiegers with such spirit as to drive them from their posts, both sides
+losing men. In the end the sallying party was driven back, but two of
+the six--Morrice being one--had broken through and made their escape.
+The other four were forced to retire.
+
+Two days now passed without a movement on the part of the garrison. Four
+of the six men still remained in the castle. The evening of the fourth
+day came. The gloom of night gathered. Suddenly a strong party from the
+garrison emerged from a sally-port and rushed upon the lines of the
+besiegers with such fire and energy that they were for a time broken,
+and two more of the proscribed escaped. The others were driven back.
+
+The morning of the fifth day dawned. Four days had gone, and four of the
+proscribed men were free. How were the other two to gain their liberty?
+The method so far pursued could scarcely be successful again. The
+besiegers would be too heedfully on the alert. Some of the garrison had
+lost their lives in aiding the four to escape. It was too dangerous an
+experiment to be repeated, with their lives assured them if they
+remained in the castle. What was to be done for the safety of the other
+two? The matter was thoroughly debated and a plan devised.
+
+On the morning of the sixth day the besieged made a great show of joy,
+calling from the walls that their six friends had gone, and that they
+would be ready to surrender the next day. This news was borne to
+Lambert, who did not believe a word of it, the escape of the four men
+not having been observed. Meanwhile, the garrison proceeded to put in
+effect their stratagem.
+
+The castle was a large one, its rooms many and spacious. Nor was it all
+in repair. Here and there walls had fallen and not been rebuilt, and
+abundance of waste stones strewed the ground in these localities.
+Seeking a place which was least likely to be visited, they walled up the
+two proscribed men, building the wall in such a manner that air could
+enter and that they might have some room for movement. Giving them food
+enough to last for thirty days, they closed the chamber, and left the
+two men in their tomb-like retreat.
+
+The sixth day came. The hour fixed arrived. The gates were thrown open.
+Lambert and his men marched in and took possession of the fortress. The
+garrison was marshalled before him, and a strict search made among them
+for the six men, whom he fully expected to find. They were not there.
+The castle was closely searched. They could not be found. He was
+compelled to admit that the garrison had told him the truth, and that
+the six had indeed escaped.
+
+For this Lambert did not seem in any sense sorry. The men were brave.
+Their act had been one allowable in war. He was secretly rather glad
+that they had escaped, and treated the others courteously, permitting
+them to leave the castle with their effects and seek their homes, as he
+had promised. And so ended the taking and retaking of Pontefract Castle.
+
+It was the last stronghold of the king in England, and was not likely to
+be used again for that purpose. But to prevent this, Lambert handled it
+in such fashion that it was left a vast pile of ruins, unfit to harbor a
+garrison. He then drew off his troops, not having discovered the
+concealed men in this proceeding. Ten days passed. Then the two flung
+down their wall and emerged among the ruins. They found the castle a
+place for bats, uninhabited by man, but lost no time in seeking less
+suspicious quarters.
+
+Of the six men, Morrice was afterwards taken and executed; the others
+remained free. Sir John Digby lived to become a favored member of the
+court of Charles II. As for Sir Marmaduke Langdale, to whose
+imprisonment Rainsborough owed his death, he escaped from his prison in
+Nottingham Castle, and made his way beyond the seas, not to return until
+England again had a king.
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF A ROYAL FUGITIVE._
+
+
+It was early September of 1651, the year that tolled the knell of
+royalty in England. In all directions from the fatal field of Worcester
+panic-stricken fugitives were flying; in all directions blood-craving
+victors were pursuing. Charles I. had lost his head for his blind
+obstinacy, two years before. Charles II., crowned king by the Scotch,
+had made a gallant fight for the throne. But Cromwell was his opponent,
+and Cromwell carried victory on his banners. The young king had invaded
+England, reached Worcester, and there felt the heavy hand of the
+Protector and his Ironsides. A fierce day's struggle, a defeat, a
+flight, and kingship in England was at an end while Cromwell lived; the
+last scion of royalty was a flying fugitive.
+
+At six o'clock in the evening of that fatal day, Charles, the boy-king,
+discrowned by battle, was flying through St. Martin's Gate from a city
+whose streets were filled with the bleeding bodies of his late
+supporters. Just outside the town he tried to rally his men; but in
+vain, no fight was left in their scared hearts. Nothing remained but
+flight at panic speed, for the bloodhounds of war were on his track, and
+if caught by those stern Parliamentarians he might be given the short
+shriving of his beheaded father. Away went the despairing prince with a
+few followers, riding for life, flinging from him as he rode his blue
+ribbon and garter and all his princely ornaments, lest pursuers should
+know him by these insignia of royalty. On for twelve hours Charles and
+his companions galloped at racing speed, onward through the whole night
+following that day of blood and woe; and at break of day on September 4
+they reached Whiteladies, a friendly house of refuge in Severn's fertile
+valley.
+
+The story of the after-adventures of the fugitive prince is so replete
+with hair-breadth escapes, disguises, refreshing instances of fidelity,
+and startling incidents, as to render it one of the most romantic tales
+to be found in English history. A thousand pounds were set upon his
+head, yet none, peasant or peer, proved false to him. He was sheltered
+alike in cottage and hall; more than a score of people knew of his
+route, yet not a word of betrayal was spoken, not a thought of betrayal
+was entertained; and the agents of the Protector vainly scoured the
+country in all directions for the princely fugitive, who found himself
+surrounded by a loyalty worthy a better man, and was at last enabled to
+leave the country in Cromwell's despite.
+
+Let us follow the fugitive prince in his flight. Reaching Whiteladies,
+he found a loyal friend in its proprietor. No sooner was it known in the
+mansion that the field of Worcester had been lost, and that the flying
+prince had sought shelter within its walls, than all was haste and
+excitement.
+
+"You must not remain here," declared Mr. Gifford, one of his companions.
+"The house is too open. The pursuers will be here within the hour.
+Measures for your safety must be taken at once."
+
+"The first of which is disguise," said Charles.
+
+His long hair was immediately cut off, his face and hands stained a dark
+hue, and the coarse and threadbare clothing of a peasant provided to
+take the place of his rich attire. Thus dressed and disguised, the royal
+fugitive looked like anything but a king.
+
+"But your features will betray you," said the cautious Gifford. "Many of
+these men know your face. You must seek a safer place of refuge."
+
+Hurried movements followed. The few friends who had accompanied Charles
+took to the road again, knowing that their presence would endanger him,
+and hoping that their flight might lead the bloodhounds of pursuit
+astray. They gone, the loyal master of Whiteladies sent for certain of
+his employees whom he could trust. These were six brothers named
+Penderell, laborers and woodmen in his service, Catholics, and devoted
+to the royal family.
+
+"This is the king," he said to William Penderell; "you must have a care
+of him, and preserve him as you did me."
+
+Thick woodland adjoined the mansion of Whiteladies. Into this the
+youthful prince was led by Richard Penderell, one of the brothers. It
+was now broad day. Through the forest went the two seeming peasants, to
+its farther side, where a broad highway ran past. Here, peering through
+the bushes, they saw a troop of horse ride by, evidently not old
+soldiers, more like the militia who made up part of Cromwell's army.
+
+These countrified warriors looked around them. Should they enter the
+woods? Some of the Scottish rogues, mayhap Charles Stuart, their royal
+leader, himself, might be there in hiding. But it had begun to rain, and
+by good fortune the shower poured down in torrents upon the woodland,
+while little rain fell upon the heath beyond. To the countrymen, who had
+but begun to learn the trade of soldiers, the certainty of a dry skin
+was better than the forlorn chance of a flying prince. They rode rapidly
+on to escape a drenching, much to the relief of the lurking observers.
+
+"The rogues are hunting me close," said the prince, "and by our Lady,
+this waterfall isn't of the pleasantest. Let us get back into the thick
+of the woods."
+
+Penderell led the way to a dense glade, where he spread a blanket which
+he had brought with him under one of the most thick-leaved trees, to
+protect the prince from the soaked ground. Hither his sister, Mrs.
+Yates, brought a supply of food, consisting of bread, butter, eggs, and
+milk. Charles looked at her with grateful eyes.
+
+"My good woman," he said, "can you be faithful to a distressed
+cavalier?"
+
+"I will die sooner than betray you," was her devoted answer.
+
+Charles ate his rustic meal with a more hopeful heart than he had had
+since leaving Worcester's field. The loyal devotion of these humble
+friends cheered him up greatly.
+
+As night came on the rain ceased. No sooner had darkness settled upon
+the wood than the prince and his guide started towards the Severn, it
+being his purpose to make his way, if possible, into Wales, in some of
+whose ports a vessel might be found to take him abroad. Their route took
+them past a mill. It was quite dark, yet they could make out the miller
+by his white clothes, as he sat at the mill-door. The flour-sprinkled
+fellow heard their footsteps in the darkness, and called out,--
+
+"Who goes there?"
+
+"Neighbors going home," answered Richard Penderell.
+
+"If you be neighbors, stand, or I will knock you down," cried the
+suspicious miller, reaching behind the door for his cudgel.
+
+"Follow me," said Penderell, quietly, to the prince. "I fancy master
+miller is not alone."
+
+They ran swiftly along a lane and up a hill, opening a gate at the top
+of it. The miller followed, yelling out, "Rogues! rogues! Come on, lads;
+catch these runaways."
+
+He was joined by several men who came from the mill, and a sharp chase
+began along a deep and dirty lane, Charles and his guide running until
+they were tired out. They had distanced their pursuers; no sound of
+footsteps could be heard behind them.
+
+"Let us leap the hedge, and lie behind it to see if they are still on
+our track," said the prince.
+
+This they did, and lay there for half an hour, listening intently for
+pursuers. Then, as it seemed evident that the miller and his men had
+given up the chase, they rose and walked on.
+
+At a village near by lived an honest gentleman named Woolfe, who had
+hiding-places in his house for priests. Day was at hand, and travelling
+dangerous. Penderell proposed to go on and ask shelter from this person
+for an English gentleman who dared not travel by day.
+
+"Go, but look that you do not betray my name," said the prince.
+
+Penderell left his royal charge in a field, sheltered under a hedge
+beside a great tree, and sought Mr. Woolfe's house, to whose questions
+he replied that the person seeking shelter was a fugitive from the
+battle of Worcester.
+
+"Then I cannot harbor him," was the good man's reply. "It is too
+dangerous a business. I will not venture my neck for any man, unless it
+be the king himself."
+
+"Then you will for this man, for you have hit the mark; it is the king,"
+replied the guide, quite forgetting the injunction given him.
+
+"Bring him, then, in God's name," said Mr. Woolfe. "I will risk all I
+have to help him."
+
+Charles was troubled when he heard the story of his loose-tongued guide.
+But there was no help for it now. The villager must be trusted. They
+sought Mr. Woolfe's house by the rear entrance, the prince receiving a
+warm but anxious welcome from the loyal old gentleman.
+
+"I am sorry you are here, for the place is perilous," said the host.
+"There are two companies of militia in the village who keep a guard on
+the ferry, to stop any one from escaping that way. As for my
+hiding-places, they have all been discovered, and it is not safe to put
+you in any of them. I can offer you no shelter but in my barn, where you
+can lie behind the corn and hay."
+
+The prince was grateful even for this sorry shelter, and spent all that
+day hidden in the hay, feasting on some cold meat which his host had
+given him. The next night he set out for Richard Penderell's house, Mr.
+Woolfe having told him that it was not safe to try the Severn, it being
+closely guarded at all its fords and bridges. On their way they came
+again near the mill. Not caring to be questioned as before by the
+suspicious miller, they diverged towards the river.
+
+"Can you swim?" asked Charles of his guide.
+
+"Not I; and the river is a scurvy one."
+
+"I've a mind to try it," said the prince. "It's a small stream at the
+best, and I may help you over."
+
+They crossed some fields to the river-side, and Charles entered the
+water, leaving his attendant on the bank. He waded forward, and soon
+found that the water came but little above his waist.
+
+"Give me your hand," he said, returning. "There's no danger of drowning
+in this water."
+
+Leading his guide, he soon stood on the safe side of that river the
+passage of which had given him so many anxious minutes.
+
+Towards morning they reached the house of a Mr. Whitgrave, a Catholic,
+whom the prince could trust. Here he found in hiding a Major Careless, a
+fugitive officer from the defeated army. Charles revealed himself to the
+major, and held a conference with him, asking him what he had best do.
+
+"It will be very dangerous for you to stay here; the hue and cry is up,
+and no place is safe from search," said the major. "It is not you alone
+they are after, but all of our side. There is a great wood near by
+Boscobel house, but I would not like to venture that, either. The enemy
+will certainly search there. My advice is that we climb into a great,
+thick-leaved oak-tree that stands near the woods, but in an open place,
+where we can see around us."
+
+"Faith, I like your scheme, major," said Charles, briskly. "It is thick
+enough to hide us, you think?"
+
+"Yes; it was lopped a few years ago, and has grown out again very close
+and bushy. We will be as safe there as behind a thick-set hedge."
+
+"So let it be, then," said the prince.
+
+Obtaining some food from their host,--bread, cheese, and small beer,
+enough for the day,--the two fugitives, Charles and Careless, climbed
+into what has since been known as the "royal oak," and remained there
+the whole day, looking down in safety on soldiers who were searching
+the wood for royalist fugitives. From time to time, indeed, parties of
+search passed under the very tree which bore such royal fruit, and the
+prince and the major heard their chat with no little amusement.
+
+Charles light-hearted by nature, and a mere boy in years,--he had just
+passed twenty-one,--was rising above the heavy sense of depression which
+had hitherto borne him down. His native temperament was beginning to
+declare itself, and he and the major, couched like squirrels in their
+leafy covert, laughed quietly to themselves at the baffled searchers,
+while they ate their bread and cheese with fresh appetites.
+
+When night had fallen they left the tree, and the prince, parting with
+his late companion, sought a neighboring house where he was promised
+shelter in one of those hiding-places provided for proscribed priests.
+Here he found Lord Wilmot, one of the officers who had escaped with him
+from the fatal field of Worcester, and who had left him at Whiteladies.
+
+It is too much to tell in detail all the movements that followed. The
+search for Prince Charles continued with unrelenting severity. Daily,
+noble and plebeian officers of the defeated army were seized. The
+country was being scoured, high and low. Frequently the prince saw the
+forms or heard the voices of those who sought him diligently. But "Will
+Jones," the woodman, was not easily to be recognized as Charles Stuart,
+the prince. He was dressed in the shabbiest of weather-worn suits, his
+hair cut short to his ears, his face embrowned, his head covered with an
+old and greasy gray steeple hat, with turned-up brims, his ungloved and
+stained hands holding for cane a long and crooked thorn-stick.
+Altogether it was a very unprincely individual who roamed those
+peril-haunted shires of England.
+
+The two fugitives--Prince Charles and Lord Wilmot--now turned their
+steps towards the seaport of Bristol, hoping there to find means of
+passage to France. Their last place of refuge in Staffordshire was at
+the house of Colonel Lane, of Bently, an earnest royalist. Here Charles
+dropped his late name, and assumed that of Will Jackson. He threw off
+his peasant's garb, put on the livery of a servant, and set off on
+horseback with his seeming mistress, Miss Jane Lane, sister of the
+colonel, who had suddenly become infected with the desire of visiting a
+cousin at Abbotsleigh, near Bristol. The prince had now become a lady's
+groom, but he proved an awkward one, and had to be taught the duties of
+his office.
+
+"Will," said the colonel, as they were about to start, "you must give my
+sister your hand to help her to mount."
+
+The new groom gave her the wrong hand. Old Mrs. Lane, mother to the
+colonel, who saw the starting, but knew not the secret, turned to her
+son, saying satirically,--
+
+"What a goodly horseman my daughter has got to ride before her!"
+
+To ride before her it was, for, in the fashion of the day, groom and
+mistress occupied one horse, the groom in front, the mistress behind.
+Not two hours had they ridden, before the horse cast a shoe. A road-side
+village was at hand, and they stopped to have the bare hoof shod. The
+seeming groom held the horse's foot, while the smith hammered at the
+nails. As they did so an amusing conversation took place.
+
+"What news have you?" asked Charles.
+
+"None worth the telling," answered the smith; "nothing has happened
+since the beating of those rogues, the Scots."
+
+"Have any of the English, that joined hands with the Scots, been taken?"
+asked Charles.
+
+"Some of them, they tell me," answered the smith, hammering sturdily at
+the shoe; "but I do not hear that that rogue, Charles Stuart, has been
+taken yet."
+
+"Faith," answered the prince, "if he should be taken, he deserves
+hanging more than all the rest, for bringing the Scots upon English
+soil."
+
+"You speak well, gossip, and like an honest man," rejoined the smith,
+heartily. "And there's your shoe, fit for a week's travel on hard
+roads."
+
+And so they parted, the king merrily telling his mistress the joke, when
+safely out of reach of the smith's ears.
+
+There is another amusing story told of this journey. Stopping at a house
+near Stratford-upon-Avon, "Will Jackson" was sent to the kitchen, as
+the groom's place. Here he found a buxom cook-maid, engaged in preparing
+supper.
+
+"Wind up the jack for me," said the maid to her supposed fellow-servant.
+
+Charles, nothing loath, proceeded to do so. But he knew much less about
+handling a jack than a sword, and awkwardly wound it up the wrong way.
+The cook looked at him scornfully, and broke out in angry tones,--
+
+"What countrymen are you, that you know not how to wind up a jack?"
+
+Charles answered her contritely, repressing the merry twinkle in his
+eye.
+
+"I am a poor tenant's son of Colonel Lane, in Staffordshire," he said;
+"we seldom have roast meat, and when we have, we don't make use of a
+jack."
+
+"That's not saying much for your Staffordshire cooks, and less for your
+larders," replied the maid, with a head-toss of superiority.
+
+The house where this took place still stands, with the old jack hanging
+beside the fireplace; and those who have seen it of late years do not
+wonder that Charles was puzzled how to wind it up. It might puzzle a
+wiser man.
+
+There is another story in which the prince played his part as a kitchen
+servant. It is said that the soldiers got so close upon his track that
+they sought the house in which he was, not leaving a room in it
+unvisited. Finally they made their way to the kitchen, where was the man
+they sought, with a servant-maid who knew him. Charles looked around in
+nervous fear. His pursuers had never been so near him. Doubtless, for
+the moment, he gave up the game as lost. But the loyal cook was mistress
+of the situation. She struck her seeming fellow-servant a smart rap with
+the basting-ladle, and called out, shrewishly,--
+
+[Illustration: SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON.]
+
+"Now, then, go on with thy work; what art thou looking about for?"
+
+The soldiers laughed as Charles sprang up with a sheepish aspect, and
+they turned away without a thought that in this servant lad lay hidden
+the prince they sought.
+
+On September 13, ten days after the battle, Miss Lane and her groom
+reached Abbotsleigh, where they took refuge at the house of Mr. Norton,
+Colonel Lane's cousin. To the great regret of the fugitive, he learned
+here that there was no vessel in the port of Bristol that would serve
+his purpose of flight. He remained in the house for four days, under his
+guise of a servant, but was given a chamber of his own, on pretence of
+indisposition. He was just well of an ague, said his mistress. He was,
+indeed, somewhat worn out with fatigue and anxiety, though of a
+disposition that would not long let him endure hunger or loneliness.
+
+In fact, on the very morning after his arrival he made an early
+toilette, and went to the buttery-hatch for his breakfast. Here were
+several servants, Pope, the butler, among them. Bread and butter seems
+to have been the staple of the morning meal, though the butler made it
+more palatable by a liberal addition of ale and sack. As they ate they
+were entertained by a minute account of the battle of Worcester, given
+by a country fellow who sat beside Charles at table, and whom he
+concluded, from the accuracy of his description, to have been one of
+Cromwell's soldiers.
+
+Charles asked him how he came to know so well what took place, and was
+told in reply that he had been in the king's regiment. On being
+questioned more closely, it proved that he had really been in Charles's
+own regiment of guards.
+
+"What kind of man was he you call the king?" asked Charles, with an
+assumed air of curiosity.
+
+The fellow replied with an accurate description of the dress worn by the
+prince during the battle, and of the horse he rode. He looked at Charles
+on concluding.
+
+"He was at least three fingers taller than you," he said.
+
+The buttery was growing too hot for Will Jackson. What if, in another
+look, this fellow should get a nearer glimpse at the truth? The
+disguised prince made a hasty excuse for leaving the place, being, as he
+says, "more afraid when I knew he was one of our own soldiers, than when
+I took him for one of the enemy's."
+
+This alarm was soon followed by a greater one. One of his companions
+came to him in a state of intense affright.
+
+"What shall we do?" he cried. "I am afraid Pope, the butler, knows you.
+He has said very positively to me that it is you, but I have denied it."
+
+"We are in a dangerous strait, indeed," said Charles. "There is nothing
+for it, as I see, but to trust the man with our secret. Boldness, in
+cases like this, is better than distrust. Send Pope to me."
+
+The butler was accordingly sent, and Charles, with a flattering show of
+candor, told him who he was, and requested his silence and aid. He had
+taken the right course, as it proved. Pope was of loyal blood. He could
+not have found a more intelligent and devoted adherent than the butler
+showed himself during the remainder of his stay in that house.
+
+But the attentions shown the prince were compromising, in consideration
+of his disguise as a groom; suspicions were likely to be aroused, and it
+was felt necessary that he should seek a new asylum. One was found at
+Trent House, in the same county, the residence of a fervent royalist
+named Colonel Windham. Charles remained here, and in this vicinity, till
+the 6th of October, seeking in vain the means of escape from one of the
+neighboring ports. The coast proved to be too closely watched, however;
+and in the end soldiers began to arrive in the neighborhood, and the
+rumor spread that Colonel Windham's house was suspected. There was
+nothing for it but another flight, which, this time, brought him into
+Wiltshire, where he took refuge at Hele House, the residence of Mr.
+Hyde.
+
+Charles himself tells an interesting story of one of his adventures
+while at Trent House. He, with some companions, had ridden to a place
+called Burport, where they were to wait for Lord Wilmot, who had gone to
+Lyme, four miles farther, to look after a possible vessel. As they came
+near Burport they saw that the streets were full of red-coats,
+Cromwell's soldiers, there being a whole regiment in the town.
+
+"What shall we do?" asked Colonel Windham, greatly startled at the
+sight.
+
+"Do? why face it out impudently, go to the best hotel in the place, and
+take a room there," said Charles. "It is the only safe thing to do. And
+otherwise we would miss Lord Wilmot, which would be inconvenient to both
+of us."
+
+Windham gave in, and they rode boldly forward to the chief inn of the
+place. The yard was filled with soldiers. Charles, as the groom of the
+party, alighted, took the horses, and purposely led them in a blundering
+way through the midst of the soldiers to the stable. Some of the
+red-coats angrily cursed him for his rudeness, but he went serenely on,
+as if soldiers were no more to him than flies.
+
+Reaching the stable, he took the bridles from the horses, and called to
+the hostler to give them some oats.
+
+"Sure," said the hostler, peering at him closely, "I know your face."
+
+This was none too pleasant a greeting for the disguised prince, but he
+put on a serene countenance, and asked the man whether he had always
+lived at that place.
+
+"No," said the hostler. "I was born in Exeter, and was hostler in an inn
+there near Mr. Potter's, a great merchant of that town."
+
+"Then you must have seen me at Mr. Potter's," said Charles. "I lived
+with him over a year."
+
+"That is it," answered the hostler. "I remember you a boy there. Let us
+go drink a pot of beer on it."
+
+Charles excused himself, saying that he must go look after his master's
+dinner, and he lost little time in getting out of that town, lest some
+one else might have as inconvenient and less doubtful a memory.
+
+While the prince was flying, his foes were pursuing. The fact that the
+royal army was scattered was not enough for the politic mind of
+Cromwell. Its leader was still at large, somewhere in England; while he
+remained free all was at risk. Those turbulent Scotch might be again
+raised. A new Dunbar or Worcester might be fought, with different
+fortune. The flying Charles Stuart must be held captive within the
+country, and made prisoner within a fortress as soon as possible. In
+consequence, the coast was sedulously watched to prevent his escape, and
+the country widely searched, the houses of known royalists being
+particularly placed under surveillance; a large reward was offered for
+the arrest of the fugitive; the party of the Parliament was everywhere
+on the alert for him; only the good faith and sound judgment of his
+friends kept him from the hands of his foes.
+
+At Hele House, the fugitive was near the Sussex coast, and his friends
+hoped that a passage to France might be secured from some of its small
+ports. They succeeded at length. On October 13, in early morning, the
+prince, with a few loyal companions, left his last hiding-place. They
+took dogs with them, as if they were off for a hunting excursion to the
+downs.
+
+That night they spent at Hambledon, in Hampshire. Colonel Gunter, one of
+the party, led the way to the house of his brother-in-law, though
+without notifying him of his purpose. The master of the house was
+absent, but returned while the party were at supper, and was surprised
+to find a group of hilarious guests around his table. Colonel Gunter was
+among them, however, and explained that he had taken the privilege of
+kinship to use his house as his own.
+
+The worthy squire, who loved good cheer and good society, was nothing
+loath to join this lively company, though in his first surprise to find
+his house invaded a round Cavalier oath broke from his lips. To his
+astonishment, he was taken to task for this by a crop-haired member of
+the company, who reproved him in true Puritan phrase for his profanity.
+
+"Whom have you here, Gunter?" the squire asked his brother-in-law.
+"This fellow is not of your sort. I warrant me the canting chap is some
+round-headed rogue's son."
+
+"Not a bit of it," answered the colonel. "He is true Cavalier, though he
+does wear his hair somewhat of the shortest, and likes not oaths. He's
+one of us, I promise you."
+
+"Then here's your health, brother Roundhead!" exclaimed the host,
+heartily, draining a brimming glass of ale to his unknown guest.
+
+The prince, before the feast was over, grew gay enough to prove that he
+was no Puritan, though he retained sufficient caution in his cups not
+further to arouse his worthy host's suspicions. The next day they
+reached a small fishing-village, then known as Brighthelstone, now grown
+into the great town of Brighton. Here lay the vessel which had been
+engaged. The master of the craft, Anthony Tattersall by name, with the
+merchant who had engaged his vessel, supped with the party at the
+village inn. It was a jovial meal. The prince, glad at the near approach
+of safety, allowed himself some freedom of speech. Captain Tattersall
+watched him closely throughout the meal. After supper he drew his
+merchant friend aside, and said to him,--
+
+"You have not dealt fairly with me in this business. You have paid me a
+good price to carry over that gentleman; I do not complain of that; but
+you should have been more open. He is the king, as I very well know."
+
+"You are very much mistaken, captain," protested the merchant,
+nervously. "What has put such nonsense into your pate?"
+
+"I am not mistaken," persisted the captain. "He took my ship in '48,
+with other fishing-craft of this port, when he commanded his father's
+fleet. I know his face too well to be deceived. But don't be troubled at
+that; I think I do my God and my country good service in preserving the
+king; and by the grace of God, I will venture my life and all for him,
+and set him safely on shore, if I can, in France."
+
+Happily for Charles, he had found a friend instead of a foe in this
+critical moment of his adventure. He found another, for the mariner was
+not the only one who knew his face. As he stood by the fire, with his
+palm resting on the back of a chair, the inn-keeper came suddenly up and
+kissed his hand.
+
+"God bless you wheresoever you go!" he said, fervently. "I do not doubt,
+before I die, to be a lord, and my wife a lady."
+
+Charles burst into a hearty laugh at this ambitious remark of his host.
+He had been twice discovered within the hour, after a month and a half
+of impunity. Yet he felt that he could put full trust in these worthy
+men, and slept soundly that last night on English soil.
+
+At five o'clock of the next morning, he, with Lord Wilmot, his constant
+companion, went on board the little sixty-ton craft, which lay in
+Shoreham harbor, waiting the tide to put to sea. By daybreak they were
+on the waves. The prince was resting in the cabin, when in came Captain
+Tattersall, kissed his hand, professed devotion to his interests, and
+suggested a course for him to pursue.
+
+His crew, he said, had been shipped for the English port of Poole. To
+head for France might cause suspicion. He advised Charles to represent
+himself as a merchant who was in debt and afraid of arrest in England,
+and who wished to reach France to collect money due him at Rouen. If he
+would tell this story to the sailors, and gain their good-will, it might
+save future trouble.
+
+Charles entered freely into this conspiracy, went on deck, talked
+affably with the crew, told them the story concocted by the captain, and
+soon had them so fully on his side, that they joined him in begging the
+captain to change his course and land his passengers in France. Captain
+Tattersall demurred somewhat at this, but soon let himself be convinced,
+and headed his ship for the Gallic coast.
+
+The wind was fair, the weather fine. Land was sighted before noon of the
+16th. At one o'clock the prince and Lord Wilmot were landed at Fécamp, a
+small French port. They had distanced the bloodhounds of the Parliament,
+and were safe on foreign soil.
+
+
+
+
+_CROMWELL AND THE PARLIAMENT._
+
+
+The Parliament of England had defeated and put an end to the king; it
+remained for Cromwell to put an end to the Parliament. "The Rump," the
+remnant of the old Parliament was derisively called. What was left of
+that great body contained little of its honesty and integrity, much of
+its pride and incompetency. The members remaining had become infected
+with the wild notion that they were the governing power in England, and
+instead of preparing to disband themselves they introduced a bill for
+the disbanding of the army. They had not yet learned of what stuff
+Oliver Cromwell was made.
+
+A bill had been passed, it is true, for the dissolution of the
+Parliament, but in the discussion of how the "New Representative" was to
+be chosen it became plainly evident that the members of the Rump
+intended to form part of it, without the formality of re-election. A
+struggle for power seemed likely to arise between the Parliament and the
+army. It could have but one ending, with a man like Oliver Cromwell at
+the head of the latter. The officers demanded that Parliament should
+immediately dissolve. The members resolutely refused. Cromwell growled
+his comments.
+
+"As for the members of this Parliament," he said, "the army begins to
+take them in disgust."
+
+There was ground for it, he continued, in their selfish greed, their
+interference with law and justice, the scandalous lives of many of the
+members, and, above all, their plain intention to keep themselves in
+power.
+
+"There is little to hope for from such men for a settlement of the
+nation," he concluded.
+
+The war with Holland precipitated the result. This war acted as a
+barometer for the Parliament. It was a naval combat. In the first
+meeting of the two fleets the Dutch were defeated, and the mercury of
+Parliamentarian pride rose. In the next combat Van Tromp, the veteran
+Dutch admiral, drove Blake with a shattered fleet into the Thames. Van
+Tromp swept the Channel in triumph, with a broom at his mast-head. The
+hopes of the members went down to zero. They agreed to disband in
+November. Cromwell promised to reduce the army. But Blake put to sea
+again, fought Van Tromp in a four days' running fight, and won the
+honors of the combat. Up again went the mercury of Parliamentary hope
+and pride. The members determined to continue in power, and not only
+claimed the right to remain members of the new Parliament, but even to
+revise the returns of the elected members, and decide for themselves if
+they would have them as fellows.
+
+The issue was now sharply drawn between army and Parliament. The
+officers met and demanded that Parliament should at once dissolve, and
+let the Council of State manage the new elections. A conference was held
+between officers and members, at Cromwell's house, on April 19, 1653. It
+ended in nothing. The members were resolute.
+
+"Our charge," said Haslerig, arrogantly, "cannot be transferred to any
+one."
+
+The conference adjourned till the next morning, Sir Harry Vane engaging
+that no action should be taken till it met again. Yet when it met the
+next morning the leading members of Parliament were absent, Vane among
+them. Their absence was suspicious. Were they pushing the bill through
+the House in defiance of the army?
+
+Cromwell was present,--"in plain black clothes, and gray worsted
+stockings,"--a plain man, but one not safe to trifle with. The officers
+waited a while for the members. They did not come. Instead there came
+word that they were in their seats in the House, busily debating the
+bill that was to make them rulers of the nation without consent of the
+people, hurrying it rapidly through its several stages. If left alone
+they would soon make it a law.
+
+Then the man who had hurled Charles I. from his throne lost his
+patience. This, in his opinion, had gone far enough. Since it had come
+to a question whether a self-elected Parliament, or the army to which
+England owed her freedom, should hold the balance of power, Cromwell was
+not likely to hesitate.
+
+"It is contrary to common honesty!" he broke out, angrily.
+
+Leaving Whitehall, he set out for the House of Parliament, bidding a
+company of musketeers to follow him. He entered quietly, leaving his
+soldiers outside. The House now contained no more than fifty-three
+members. Sir Harry Vane was addressing this fragment of a Parliament
+with a passionate harangue in favor of the bill. Cromwell sat for some
+time in silence, listening to his speech, his only words being to his
+neighbor, St. John.
+
+"I am come to do what grieves me to the heart," he said.
+
+Vane pressed the House to waive its usual forms and pass the bill at
+once.
+
+"The time has come," said Cromwell to Harrison, whom he had beckoned
+over to him.
+
+"Think well," answered Harrison; "it is a dangerous work."
+
+[Illustration: OLIVER CROMWELL.]
+
+The man of fate subsided into silence again. A quarter of an hour more
+passed. Then the question was put "that this bill do now pass."
+
+Cromwell rose, took off his hat, and spoke. His words were strong.
+Beginning with commendation of the Parliament for what it had done for
+the public good, he went on to charge the present members with acts of
+injustice, delays of justice, self-interest, and similar faults, his
+tone rising higher as he spoke until it had grown very hot and
+indignant.
+
+"Your hour is come; the Lord hath done with you," he added.
+
+"It is a strange language, this," cried one of the members, springing up
+hastily; "unusual this within the walls of Parliament. And from a
+trusted servant, too; and one whom we have so highly honored; and
+one----"
+
+"Come, come," cried Cromwell, in the tone in which he would have
+commanded his army to charge, "we have had enough of this." He strode
+furiously into the middle of the chamber, clapped on his hat, and
+exclaimed, "I will put an end to your prating."
+
+He continued speaking hotly and rapidly, "stamping the floor with his
+feet" in his rage, the words rolling from him in a fury. Of these words
+we only know those with which he ended.
+
+"It is not fit that you should sit here any longer! You should give
+place to better men! You are no Parliament!" came from him in harsh and
+broken exclamations. "Call them in," he said, briefly, to Harrison.
+
+At the word of command a troop of some thirty musketeers marched into
+the chamber. Grim fellows they were, dogs of war,--the men of the Rump
+could not face this argument; it was force arrayed against law,--or what
+called itself law,--wrong against wrong, for neither army nor Parliament
+truly represented the people, though just then the army seemed its most
+rightful representative.
+
+"I say you are no Parliament!" roared the lord-general, hot with anger.
+"Some of you are drunkards." His eye fell on a bottle-loving member.
+"Some of you are lewd livers; living in open contempt of God's
+commandments." His hot gaze flashed on Henry Marten and Sir Peter
+Wentworth. "Following your own greedy appetites and the devil's
+commandments; corrupt, unjust persons, scandalous to the profession of
+the gospel: how can you be a Parliament for God's people? Depart, I say,
+and let us have done with you. In the name of God--go!"
+
+These words were like bomb-shells exploded in the chamber of Parliament.
+Such a scene had never before and has never since been seen in the House
+of Commons. The members were all on their feet, some white with terror,
+some red with indignation. Vane fearlessly faced the irate general.
+
+"Your action," he said, hotly, "is against all right and all honor."
+
+"Ah, Sir Harry Vane, Sir Harry Vane," retorted Cromwell, bitterly, "you
+might have prevented all this; but you are a juggler, and have no common
+honesty. The Lord deliver me from Sir Harry Vane!"
+
+The retort was a just one. Vane had attempted to usurp the government.
+Cromwell turned to the speaker, who obstinately clung to his seat,
+declaring that he would not yield it except to force.
+
+"Fetch him down!" roared the general.
+
+"Sir, I will lend you a hand," said Harrison.
+
+Speaker Lenthall left the chair. One man could not resist an army.
+Through the door glided, silent as ghosts, the members of Parliament.
+
+"It is you that have forced me to this," said Cromwell, with a shade of
+regret in his voice. "I have sought the Lord night and day, that He
+would rather slay me than put upon me the doing of this work."
+
+He had, doubtless; he was a man of deep piety and intense bigotry; but
+the Lord's answer, it is to be feared, came out of the depths of his own
+consciousness. Men like Cromwell call upon God, but answer for Him
+themselves.
+
+"What shall be done with this bauble?" said the general, lifting the
+sacred mace, the sign-manual of government by the representatives of the
+people. "Take it away!" he finished, handing it to a musketeer.
+
+His flashing eyes followed the retiring members until they all had left
+the House. Then the musketeers filed out, followed by Cromwell and
+Harrison. The door was locked, and the key and mace carried away by
+Colonel Otley.
+
+A few hours afterwards the Council of State, the executive committee of
+Parliament, was similarly dissolved by the lord-general, who, in person,
+bade its members to depart.
+
+"We have heard," cried John Bradshaw, one of its members, "what you have
+done this morning at the House, and in some hours all England will hear
+it. But you mistake, sir, if you think the Parliament dissolved. No
+power on earth can dissolve the Parliament but itself, be sure of that."
+
+The people did hear it,--and sustained Cromwell in his action. Of the
+two sets of usurpers, the army and a non-representative Parliament, they
+preferred the former.
+
+"We did not hear a dog bark at their going," said Cromwell, afterwards.
+
+It was not the first time in history that the army had overturned
+representative government. In this case it was not done with the design
+of establishing a despotism. Cromwell was honest in his purpose of
+reforming the administration, and establishing a Parliamentary
+government. But he had to do with intractable elements. He called a
+constituent convention, giving to it the duty of paving the way to a
+constitutional Parliament. Instead of this, the convention began the
+work of reforming the constitution, and proposed such radical changes
+that the lord-general grew alarmed. Doubtless his musketeers would have
+dealt with the convention as they had done with the Rump Parliament, had
+it not fallen to pieces through its own dissensions. It handed back to
+Cromwell the power it had received from him. He became the lord
+protector of the realm. The revolutionary government had drifted,
+despite itself, into a despotism. A despotism it was to remain while
+Cromwell lived.
+
+
+
+
+_THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY._
+
+
+Frightful was the state of Londonderry. "No surrender" was the ultimatum
+of its inhabitants, "blockade and starvation" the threat of the
+besiegers; the town was surrounded, the river closed, relief seemed
+hopeless, life, should the furious besiegers break in, equally hopeless.
+Far off, in the harbor of Lough Foyle, could be seen the English ships.
+Thirty vessels lay there, laden with men and provisions, but they were
+able to come no nearer. The inhabitants could see them, but the sight
+only aggravated their misery. Plenty so near at hand! Death and
+destitution in their midst! Frightful, indeed, was their extremity.
+
+The Foyle, the river leading to the town, was fringed with hostile forts
+and batteries, and its channel barricaded. Several boats laden with
+stone had been sunk in the channel. A row of stakes was driven into the
+bottom of the stream. A boom was formed of trunks of fir-trees, strongly
+bound together, and fastened by great cables to the shore. Relief from
+the fleet, with the river thus closed against it, seemed impossible. Yet
+scarcely two days' supplies were left in the town, and without hasty
+relief starvation or massacre seemed the only alternatives.
+
+Let us relate the occasion of this siege. James II. had been driven from
+England, and William of Orange was on the throne. In his effort to
+recover his kingdom, James sought Ireland, where the Catholic peasantry
+were on his side. His appearance was the signal for fifty thousand
+peasants to rise in arms, and for the Protestants to fly from peril of
+massacre. They knew their fate should they fall into the hands of the
+half-savage peasants, mad with years of misrule.
+
+In the north, seven thousand English fugitives fled to Londonderry, and
+took shelter behind the weak wall, manned by a few old guns, and without
+even a ditch for defence, which formed the only barrier between them and
+their foes. Around this town gathered twenty-five thousand besiegers,
+confident of quick success. But the weakness of the battlements was
+compensated for by the stoutness of the hearts within. So fierce were
+the sallies of the desperate seven thousand, so severe the loss of the
+besiegers in their assaults, that the attempt to carry the place by
+storm was given up, and a blockade substituted. From April till the end
+of July this continued, the condition of the besieged daily growing
+worse, the food-supply daily growing less. Such was the state of affairs
+at the date with which we are specially concerned.
+
+Inside the town, at that date, the destitution had grown heart-rending.
+The fire of the enemy was kept up more briskly than ever, but famine and
+disease killed more than cannon-balls. The soldiers of the garrison
+were so weak from privation that they could scarcely stand; yet they
+repelled every attack, and repaired every breach in the walls as fast as
+made. The damage done by day was made good at night. For the garrison
+there remained a small supply of grain, which was given out by
+mouthfuls, and there was besides a considerable store of salted hides,
+which they gnawed for lack of better food. The stock of animals had been
+reduced to nine horses, and these so lean and gaunt that it seemed
+useless to kill them for food.
+
+The townsmen were obliged to feed on dogs and rats, an occasional small
+fish caught in the river, and similar sparse supplies. They died by
+hundreds. Disease aided starvation in carrying them off. The living were
+too few and too weak to bury the dead. Bodies were left unburied, and a
+deadly and revolting stench filled the air. That there was secret
+discontent and plottings for surrender may well be believed. But no such
+feeling dared display itself openly. Stubborn resolution and vigorous
+defiance continued the public tone. "No surrender" was the general cry,
+even in that extremity of distress. And to this voices added, in tones
+of deep significance, "First the horses and hides; then the prisoners;
+and then each other."
+
+Such was the state of affairs on July 28, 1689. Two days' very sparse
+rations alone remained for the garrison. At the end of that time all
+must end. Yet still in the distance could be seen the masts of the
+ships, holding out an unfulfilled promise of relief; still hope was not
+quite dead in the hearts of the besieged. Efforts had been made to send
+word to the town from the fleet. One swimmer who attempted to pass the
+boom was drowned. Another was caught and hanged. On the 13th of July a
+letter from the fleet, sewed up in a cloth button, reached the commander
+of the garrison. It was from Kirke, the general in command of the party
+of relief, and promised speedy aid. But a fortnight and more had passed
+since then, and still the fleet lay inactive in Lough Foyle, nine miles
+away, visible from the summit of the Cathedral, yet now tending rather
+to aggravate the despair than to sustain the hopes of the besieged.
+
+The sunset hour of July 28 was reached. Services had been held that
+afternoon in the Cathedral,--services in which doubtless the help of God
+was despairingly invoked, since that of man seemed in vain. The
+heart-sick people left the doors, and were about to disperse to their
+foodless homes, when a loud cry of hope and gladness came from the
+lookout in the tower above their heads.
+
+"They are coming!" was the stirring cry. "The ships are coming up the
+river! I can see their sails plainly! Relief is coming!"
+
+How bounded the hearts of those that heard this gladsome cry! The
+listeners dispersed, carrying the glad news to every corner of the town.
+Others came in hot haste, eager to hear further reports from the lookout
+tower. The town, lately so quiet and depressed, was suddenly filled with
+activity. Hope swelled every heart, new life ran in every vein; the
+news was like a draught of wine that gave fresh spirit to the most
+despairing soul.
+
+And now other tidings came. There was a busy stir in the camp of the
+besiegers. They were crowding to the river-banks. As far as the eye
+could see, the stream was lined. The daring ships had a gauntlet of fire
+to run. Their attempt seemed hopeless, indeed. The river was low. The
+channel which they would have to follow ran near the left bank, where
+numerous batteries had been planted. They surely would never succeed.
+Yet still they came, and still the lookout heralded their movements to
+the excited multitude below.
+
+The leading ship was the Mountjoy, a merchant-vessel laden heavily with
+provisions. Its captain was Micaiah Browning, a native of Londonderry.
+He had long advised such an attempt, but the general in command had
+delayed until positive orders came from England that something must be
+done.
+
+On hearing of this, Browning immediately volunteered. He was eager to
+succor his fellow-townsmen. Andrew Douglas, captain of the Phoenix, a
+vessel laden with meal from Scotland, was willing and anxious to join in
+the enterprise. As an escort to these two merchantmen came the
+Dartmouth, a thirty-six-gun frigate, its commander John Leake,
+afterwards an admiral of renown.
+
+Up the stream they came, the Dartmouth in the lead, returning the fire
+of the forts with effect, pushing steadily onward, with the merchantmen
+closely in the rear. At length the point of peril was reached. The boom
+extended across the stream, seemingly closing all further passage. But
+that remained to be seen. The Mountjoy took the lead, all its sails
+spread, a fresh breeze distending the canvas, and rushed head on at the
+boom.
+
+A few minutes of exciting suspense followed, then the great barricade
+was struck, strained to its utmost, and, with a rending sound, gave way.
+So great was the shock that the Mountjoy rebounded and stuck in the mud.
+A yell of triumph came from the Irish who crowded the banks. They rushed
+to their boats, eager to board the disabled vessel; but a broadside from
+the Dartmouth sent them back in disordered flight.
+
+In a minute more the Phoenix, which had followed close, sailed through
+the breach which the Mountjoy had made, and was past the boom.
+Immediately afterwards the Mountjoy began to move in her bed of mud. The
+tide was rising. In a few minutes she was afloat and under way again,
+safely passing through the barrier of broken stakes and spars. But her
+brave commander was no more. A shot from one of the batteries had struck
+and killed him, when on the very verge of gaining the highest honor that
+man could attain,--that of saving his native town from the horrors of
+starvation or massacre.
+
+While this was going on, the state of feeling of the lean and hungry
+multitude within the town was indescribable. Night had fallen before the
+ships reached the boom. The lookout could no longer see and report
+their movements. Intense was the suspense. Minutes that seemed hours
+passed by. Then, in the distance, the flash of guns could be seen. The
+sound of artillery came from afar to the ears of the expectant citizens.
+But the hope which this excited went down when the shout of triumph rose
+from the besiegers as the Mountjoy grounded. It was taken up and
+repeated from rank to rank to the very walls of the city, and the hearts
+of the besieged sank dismally. This cry surely meant failure. The
+miserable people grew livid with fear. There was unutterable anguish in
+their eyes, as they gazed with despair into one another's pallid faces.
+
+A half-hour more passed. The suspense continued. Yet the shouts of
+triumph had ceased. Did it mean repulse or victory? "Victory! victory!"
+for now a spectral vision of sails could be seen, drawing near the town.
+They grew nearer and plainer; dark hulls showed below them; the vessels
+were coming! the town was saved!
+
+Wild was the cry of glad greeting that went up from thousands of
+throats, soul-inspiring the cheers that came, softened by distance, back
+from the ships. It was ten o'clock at night. The whole population had
+gathered at the quay. In came the ships. Loud and fervent were the
+cheers and welcoming cries. In a few minutes more the vessels had
+touched the wharves, well-fed sailors and starved townsmen were
+fraternizing, and the long months of misery and woe were forgotten in
+the intense joy of that supreme moment of relief.
+
+Many hands now made short work. Wasted and weak as were the townsmen,
+hope gave them strength. A screen of casks filled with earth was rapidly
+built up to protect the landing-place from the hostile batteries on the
+other side of the river. Then the unloading began. The eyes of the
+starving inhabitants distended with joy as they saw barrel after barrel
+rolled ashore, until six thousand bushels of meal lay on the wharf.
+Great cheeses came next, beef-casks, flitches of bacon, kegs of butter,
+sacks of peas and biscuit, until the quay was piled deep with
+provisions.
+
+One may imagine with what tears of joy the soldiers and people ate their
+midnight repast that night. Not many hours before the ration to each man
+of the garrison had been half a pound of tallow and three-quarters of a
+pound of salted hide. Now to each was served out three pounds of flour,
+two pounds of beef, and a pint of peas. There was no sleep for the
+remainder of the night, either within or without the walls. The bonfires
+that blazed along the whole circuit of the walls told the joy within the
+town. The incessant roar of guns told the rage without it. Peals of
+bells from the church-towers answered the Irish cannon; shouts of
+triumph from the walls silenced the cries of anger from the batteries.
+It was a conflict of joy and rage.
+
+Three days more the batteries continued to roar. But on the night of
+July 31 flames were seen to issue from the Irish camp; on the morning of
+August 1 a line of scorched and smoking ruins replaced the
+lately-occupied huts, and along the Foyle went a long column of pikes
+and standards, marking the retreat of the besieging army.
+
+The retreat became a rout. The men of Enniskillen charged the retreating
+army of Newtown Butler, struggling through a bog to fall on double their
+number, whom they drove in a panic before them. The panic spread through
+the whole army. Horse and foot, they fled. Not until they had reached
+Dublin, then occupied by King James, did the retreat stop, and
+confidence return to the baffled besiegers of Londonderry.
+
+Thus ended the most memorable siege in the history of the British
+islands. It had lasted one hundred and five days. Of the seven thousand
+men of the garrison but about three thousand were left. Of the besiegers
+probably more had fallen than the whole number of the garrison.
+
+To-day Londonderry is in large measure a monument to its great siege.
+The wall has been carefully preserved, the summit of the ramparts
+forming a pleasant walk, the bastions being turned into pretty little
+gardens. Many of the old culverins, which threw lead-covered bricks
+among the Irish ranks, have been preserved, and may still be seen among
+the leaves and flowers. The cathedral is filled with relics and
+trophies, and over its altar may be observed the French flag-staffs,
+taken by the garrison in a desperate sally, the flags they once bore
+long since reduced to dust. Two anniversaries are still kept,--that of
+the day on which the gates were closed, that of the day on which the
+siege was raised,--salutes, processions, banquets, addresses, sermons
+signalizing these two great events in the history of a city which passed
+through so frightful a baptism of war, but has ever since been the abode
+of peace.
+
+
+
+
+_THE HUNTING OF BRAEMAR._
+
+
+In the great forest of Braemar, in the Highlands of Scotland, was
+gathered a large party of hunters, chiefs, and clansmen, all dressed in
+the Highland costume, and surrounded by extensive preparations for the
+comfort and enjoyment of all concerned. Seldom, indeed, had so many
+great lords been gathered for such an occasion. On the invitation of the
+Earl of Mar, within whose domain the hunt was to take place, there had
+come together the Marquises of Huntly and Tulliebardine, the Earls of
+Nithsdale, Marischal, Traquair, Errol, and several others, and numerous
+viscounts, lords, and chiefs of clans, many of the most important of the
+nobility and clan leaders of the Highlands being present.
+
+With these great lords were hosts of clansmen, all attired in the
+picturesque dress of the Highlands, and so numerous that the convocation
+had the appearance of a small army, the sport of hunting in those days
+being often practised on a scale of magnificence resembling war. The red
+deer of the Highlands were the principal game, and the method of hunting
+usually employed could not be conducted without the aid of a large body
+of men. Around the broad extent of wild forest land and mountain
+wilderness, which formed the abiding-place of these animals, a circuit
+of hunters many miles in extent was formed. This circuit was called the
+_tinchel_. Upon a given signal, the hunters composing the circle began
+to move inwards, rousing the deer from their lairs, and driving them
+before them, with such other animals as the forest might contain.
+
+Onward moved the hunters, the circle steadily growing less, and the
+terrified beasts becoming more crowded together, until at length they
+were driven down some narrow defile, along whose course the lords and
+gentlemen had been posted, lying in wait for the coming of the deer, and
+ready to show their marksmanship by shooting such of the bucks as were
+in season.
+
+The hunt with which we are at present concerned, however, had other
+purposes than the killing of deer. The latter ostensible object
+concealed more secret designs, and to these we may confine our
+attention. It was now near the end of August, 1715. At the beginning of
+that month, the Earl of Mar, in company with General Hamilton and
+Colonel Hay, had embarked at Gravesend, on the Thames, all in disguise
+and under assumed names. To keep their secret the better, they had taken
+passage on a coal sloop, agreeing to work their way like common seamen;
+and in this humble guise they continued until Newcastle was reached,
+where a vessel in which they could proceed with more comfort was
+engaged. From this craft they landed at the small port of Elie, on the
+coast of Fife, a country then well filled with Jacobites, or adherents
+to the cause of the Stuart princes. Such were the mysterious
+preliminary steps towards the hunting-party in the forest of Braemar.
+
+In truth, the hunt was little more than a pretence. While the clansmen
+were out forming the tinchel, the lords were assembled in secret
+convocation, in which the Earl of Mar eloquently counselled resistance
+to the rule of King George, and the taking of arms in the cause of James
+Francis Edward, son of the exiled James II., and, as he argued, the only
+true heir to the English throne. He told them that he had been promised
+abundant aid in men and money from France, and assured them that a
+rising in Scotland would be followed by a general insurrection in
+England against the Hanoverian dynasty. He is said to have shown letters
+from the Stuart prince, the Chevalier de St. George, as he was called,
+making the earl his lieutenant-general and commander-in-chief of the
+armies of Scotland.
+
+How many red deer were killed on this occasion no one can say. The noble
+guests of Mar had other things to think of than singling out fat bucks.
+None of them opposed the earl in his arguments, and in the end it was
+agreed that all should return home, raise what forces they could by the
+3d of September, and meet again on that day at Aboyne, in Aberdeenshire,
+where it would be settled how they were to take the field.
+
+Thus ended that celebrated hunt of Braemar, which was destined to bring
+tears and blood to many a household in Scotland, through loyal devotion
+to a prince who was not worth the sacrifice, and at the bidding of an
+earl who was considered by many as too versatile in disposition to be
+fully trusted. An anecdote is given in evidence of this opinion. The
+castle of Braemar was, as a result of the hunt, so overflowing with
+guests, that many of the gentlemen of secondary importance could not be
+accommodated with beds, but were forced to spend the night around the
+kitchen fire,--a necessity then considered no serious matter by the
+hardy Scotch. But such was not the opinion of all present. An English
+footman, a domestic of the earl, came pushing among the gentlemen,
+complaining bitterly at having to sit up all night, and saying that
+rather than put up with much of this he would go back to his own country
+and turn Whig. As to his Toryism, however, he comforted himself with the
+idea that he served a lord who was especially skilful in escaping
+danger.
+
+"Let my lord alone," he said; "if he finds it necessary, he can turn
+cat-in-pan with any man in England."
+
+While these doings were in progress in the Highlands, the Jacobites were
+no less active in the Lowlands, and an event took place in the
+metropolis of Scotland which showed that the spirit of disaffection had
+penetrated within its walls. This was an attempt to take the castle of
+Edinburgh by surprise,--an exploit parallel in its risky and daring
+character with those told of the Douglas and other bold lords at an
+earlier period.
+
+The design of scaling this almost inaccessible stronghold was made by a
+Mr. Arthur, who had been an ensign in the Scots' Guards and quartered in
+the castle, and was, therefore, familiar with its interior arrangement.
+He found means to gain over, by cash and promises, a sergeant and two
+privates, who agreed that, when on duty as sentinels on the walls over
+the precipice to the north, they would draw up rope-ladders, and fasten
+them by grappling-irons at their top to the battlements of the castle.
+This done, it would be easy for an armed party to scale the walls and
+make themselves masters of the stronghold. Arthur's plan did not end
+with the mere capture of the fortress. He had arranged a set of signals
+with the Earl of Mar, consisting of a beacon displayed at a fixed point
+on the castle walls, three rounds of artillery, and a succession of
+fires flashing the news from hill-top to hill-top. The earl, thus
+apprised of the success of the adventurers, was to hasten south with all
+the force he could bring, and take possession of Edinburgh.
+
+The scheme was well devised, and might have succeeded but for one of
+those unlucky chances which have defeated so many well-laid plans.
+Agents in the enterprise could be had in abundance. Fifty Highlanders
+were selected, picked men from Lord Drummond's estates in Perthshire. To
+these were added fifty others chosen from the Jacobites of Edinburgh.
+Drummond, otherwise known as MacGregor, of Bahaldie, was given the
+command. The scheme was one of great moment. Its success would give the
+Earl of Mar a large supply of money, arms, and ammunition, deposited in
+the fortress, and control of the greater part of Scotland, while
+affording a ready means of communication with the English malcontents.
+
+Unluckily for the conspirators, they had more courage than prudence.
+Eighteen of the younger men were, on the night fixed, amusing themselves
+with drinking in a public-house, and talked with such freedom that the
+hostess discovered their secret. She told a friend that the party
+consisted of some young gentlemen who were having their hair powdered in
+order to go to an attack on the castle. Arthur, the originator of the
+enterprise, also made what proved to be a dangerous revelation. He
+engaged his brother, a doctor, in the scheme. The brother grew so
+nervous and low-spirited that his wife, seeing that something was amiss
+with him, gave him no rest until he had revealed the secret. She,
+perhaps to save her husband, perhaps from Whig proclivities, instantly
+sent an anonymous letter to Sir Adam Cockburn, lord justice-clerk of
+Edinburgh, apprising him of the plot. He at once sent the intelligence
+to the castle. His messenger reached there at a late hour, and had much
+difficulty in gaining admittance. When he did so, the deputy-governor
+saw fit to doubt the improbable tidings sent him. The only precaution he
+took was to direct that the rounds and patrols should be made with
+great care. With this provision for the safety of the castle, he went
+to bed, doubtless with the comfortable feeling that he had done all that
+could be expected of a reasonable man in so improbable a case.
+
+While this was going on, the storming-party had collected at the
+church-yard of the West Kirk, and from there proceeded to the chosen
+place at the foot of the castle walls. There had been a serious failure,
+however, in their preparations. They had with them a part of the
+rope-ladders on which their success depended, but he who was to have
+been there with the remainder--Charles Forbes, an Edinburgh merchant,
+who had attended to their making--was not present, and they awaited him
+in vain.
+
+Without him nothing could be done; but, impatient at the delay, the
+party made their way with difficulty up the steep cliff, and at length
+reached the foot of the castle wall. Here they found on duty one of the
+sentinels whom they had bribed; but he warned them to make haste, saying
+that he was to be relieved at twelve o'clock, and after that hour he
+could give them no aid.
+
+The affair was growing critical. The midnight hour was fast approaching,
+and Forbes was still absent. Drummond, the leader, had the sentinel to
+draw up the ladder they had with them and fasten it to the battlements,
+to see if it were long enough for their purpose. He did so; but it
+proved to be more than a fathom short.
+
+[Illustration: EDINBURGH CASTLE.]
+
+And now happened an event fatal to their enterprise. The information
+sent the deputy-governor, and his direction that the patrols should be
+alert, had the effect of having them make the rounds earlier than usual.
+They came at half-past eleven instead of at twelve. The sentinel,
+hearing their approaching steps, had but one thing to do for his own
+safety. He cried out to the party below, with an oath,--
+
+"Here come the rounds I have been telling you of this half-hour; you
+have ruined both yourselves and me; I can serve you no longer."
+
+With these words, he loosened the grappling-irons and flung down the
+ladders, and, with the natural impulse to cover his guilty knowledge of
+the affair, fired his musket, with a loud cry of "Enemies!"
+
+This alarm cry forced the storming-party to fly with all speed. The
+patrol saw them from the wall and fired on them as they scrambled
+hastily down the rocks. One of them, an old man, Captain McLean, rolled
+down the cliff and was much hurt. He was taken prisoner by a party of
+the burgher guard, whom the justice-clerk had sent to patrol the outside
+of the walls. They took also three young men, who protested that they
+were there by accident, and had nothing to do with the attempt. The rest
+of the party escaped. In their retreat they met Charles Forbes, coming
+tardily up with the ladders which, a quarter of an hour earlier, might
+have made them masters of the castle, but which were now simply an
+aggravation.
+
+It does not seem that any one was punished for this attempt, beyond the
+treacherous sergeant, who was tried, found guilty, and hanged, and the
+deputy-governor, who was deprived of his office and imprisoned for some
+time. No proof could be obtained against any one else.
+
+As for the conspirators, indeed, it is probable that the most of them
+found their way to the army of the Earl of Mar, who was soon afterwards
+in the field at the head of some twelve thousand armed men, pronouncing
+himself the general of His Majesty James III.,--known to history as the
+"Old Pretender."
+
+What followed this outbreak it is not our purpose to describe. It will
+suffice to say that Mar was more skilful as a conspirator than as a
+general, that his army was defeated by Argyle at Sheriffmuir, and that,
+when Prince James landed in December, it was to find his adherents
+fugitives and his cause in a desperate state. Perceiving that success
+was past hope, he made his way back to France in the following month,
+the Earl of Mar going with him, and thus, as his English footman had
+predicted, escaping the fate which was dealt out freely to those whom he
+had been instrumental in drawing into the outbreak. Many of these paid
+with their lives for their participation in the rebellion, but Mar lived
+to continue his plotting for a number of years afterwards, though it
+cannot be said that his later plots were more notable for success than
+the one we have described.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FLIGHT OF PRINCE CHARLES._
+
+
+It was early morning on the Hebrides, that crowded group of rocky
+islands on the west coast of Scotland where fish and anglers much do
+congregate. From one of these, South Uist by name, a fishing-boat had
+put out at an early hour, and was now, with a fresh breeze in its sail,
+making its way swiftly over the ruffled waters of the Irish Channel. Its
+occupants, in addition to the two watermen who managed it, were three
+persons,--two women and a man. To all outward appearance only one of
+these was of any importance. This was a young lady of bright and
+attractive face, dressed in a plain and serviceable travelling-costume,
+but evidently of good birth and training. Her companions were a man and
+a maid-servant, the latter of unusual height for a woman, and with an
+embrowned and roughened face that indicated exposure to severe hardships
+of life and climate. The man was a thorough Highlander, red-bearded,
+shock-haired, and of weather-beaten aspect.
+
+The boat had already made a considerable distance from the shore when
+its occupants found themselves in near vicinity to another small craft,
+which was moving lazily in a line parallel to the island coast. At a
+distance to right and left other boats were visible. The island waters
+seemed to be patrolled. As the fishing-boat came near, the craft just
+mentioned shifted its course and sailed towards it. It was sufficiently
+near to show that it contained armed men, one of them in uniform. A hail
+now came across the waters.
+
+"What boat is that? Whom have you on board?"
+
+"A lady; on her way to Skye," answered the boatman.
+
+"Up helm, and lay yourself alongside of us. We must see who you are."
+
+The fishermen obeyed. They had reason to know that, just then, there was
+no other course to pursue. In a few minutes the two boats were riding
+side by side, lifting and falling lazily on the long Atlantic swell. The
+lady looked up at the uniformed personage, who seemed an officer.
+
+"My name is Flora McDonald," she said. "These persons are my servants.
+My father is in command of the McDonalds on South Uist. I have been
+visiting at Clanranald, and am now on my way home."
+
+"Forgive me, Miss McDonald," said the officer, courteously; "but our
+orders are precise; no one can leave the island without a pass."
+
+"I know it," she replied, with dignity, "and have provided myself. Here
+is my passport, signed by my father."
+
+The officer took and ran his eye over it quickly: "Flora McDonald; with
+two servants, Betty Bruce and Malcolm Rae," he read. His gaze moved
+rapidly over the occupants of the boat, resting for a moment on the
+bright and intelligent face of the young lady.
+
+"This seems all right, Miss McDonald," he said, respectfully, returning
+her the paper. "You can pass. Good-by, and a pleasant journey."
+
+"Many thanks," she answered. "You should be successful in catching the
+bird that is seeking to fly from that island. Your net is spread wide
+enough."
+
+"I hardly think our bird will get through the meshes," he answered,
+laughingly.
+
+In a few minutes more they were wide asunder. A peculiar smile rested on
+the face of the lady, which seemed reflected from the countenances of
+her attendants, but not a word was said on the subject of the recent
+incident.
+
+Their reticence continued until the rocky shores of the Isle of Skye
+were reached, and the boat was put into one of the many inlets that
+break its irregular contour. Silence, indeed, was maintained until they
+had landed on a rocky shelf, and the boat had pushed off on its return
+journey. Then Flora McDonald spoke.
+
+"So far we are safe," she said. "But I confess I was frightfully scared
+when that patrol-boat stopped us."
+
+"You did not look so," said Betty Bruce, in a voice of masculine depth.
+
+"I did not dare to," she answered. "If I had looked what I felt, we
+would never have passed. But let us continue our journey. We have no
+time to spare."
+
+It was a rocky and desolate spot on which they stood, the rugged
+rock-shelves which came to the water's edge gradually rising to high
+hills in the distance. But as they advanced inland the appearance of the
+island improved, and signs of human habitation appeared. They had not
+gone far before the huts of fishermen and others became visible, planted
+in little clearings among the rocks, whose inmates looked with eyes of
+curiosity on the strangers. This was particularly the case when they
+passed through a small village, at no great distance inland. Of the
+three persons, it was the maid-servant, Betty Bruce, that attracted most
+attention, her appearance giving rise to some degree of amusement. Nor
+was this without reason. The woman was so ungainly in appearance, and
+walked with so awkward a stride, that the skirts which clung round her
+heels seemed a decided incumbrance to her progress. Her face, too,
+presented a roughness that gave hint of possibilities of a beard. She
+kept unobtrusively behind her mistress, her peculiar gait set the
+goodwives of the village whispering and laughing as they pointed her
+out.
+
+For several miles the travellers proceeded, following the general
+direction of the coast, and apparently endeavoring to avoid all
+collections of human habitations. Now and then, however, they met
+persons in the road, who gazed at them with the same curiosity as those
+they had already passed.
+
+The scenery before them grew finer as they advanced. Near nightfall they
+came near mountainous elevations, abutting on the sea-shore in great
+cliffs of columnar basalt, a thousand feet and more in height, over
+which leaped here and there waterfalls of great height and beauty. Their
+route now lay along the base of these cliffs, on the narrow strip of
+land between them and the sea.
+
+Here they paused, just as the sun was shedding its last rays upon the
+water. Seating themselves on some protruding boulders, they entered into
+conversation, the fair Flora's face presenting an expression of doubt
+and trouble.
+
+"I do not like the looks of the people," she said. "They watch you too
+closely. And we are still in the country of Sir Alexander, a land filled
+with our enemies. If you were only a better imitation of a woman."
+
+"Faith, I fear I'm but an awkward sample," answered Betty, in a voice of
+man-like tone. "I have been doing my best, but----"
+
+"But the lion cannot change his skin," supplied the lady. "This will not
+do. We must take other measures. But our first duty is to find the
+shelter fixed for to-night. It will not do to tarry here till it grows
+dark."
+
+They rose and proceeded, following Malcolm, who acted as guide. The
+place was deserted, and Betty stepped out with a stride of most
+unmaidenly length, as if to gain relief from her late restraint. Her
+manner now would have revealed the secret to any shrewd observer. The
+ungainly maid-servant was evidently a man in disguise.
+
+We cannot follow their journey closely. It will suffice to say that the
+awkwardness of the assumed Betty gave rise to suspicion on more than one
+occasion in the next day or two. It became evident that, if the secret
+of the disguised personage was not to be discovered, they must cease
+their wanderings; some shelter must be provided, and a safer means of
+progress be devised.
+
+A shelter was obtained,--one that promised security. In the base of the
+basaltic cliffs of which we have spoken many caverns had been excavated
+by the winter surges of the sea. In one of these, near the village of
+Portree, and concealed from too easy observation, the travellers found
+refuge. Food was obtained by Malcolm from the neighboring settlement,
+and some degree of comfort provided for. Leaving her disguised companion
+in this shelter, with Malcolm for company, Flora went on. She had
+devised a plan of procedure not without risk, but which seemed
+necessary. It was too perilous to continue as they had done during the
+few past days.
+
+Leaving our travellers thus situated, we will go back in time to
+consider the events which led to this journey in disguise. It was now
+July, the year being 1746. On the 16th of April of the same year a
+fierce battle had been fought on Culloden moor between the English army
+under the Duke of Cumberland and the host of Highlanders led by Charles
+Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender." Fierce had been the fray, terrible
+the bloodshed, fatal the defeat of the Highland clans. Beaten and
+broken, they had fled in all directions for safety, hotly pursued by
+their victorious foes.
+
+Prince Charles had fought bravely on the field; and, after the fatal
+disaster, had fled--having with him only a few Irish officers whose good
+faith he trusted--to Gortuleg, the residence of Lord Lovat. If he hoped
+for shelter there, he found it not. He was overcome with distress; Lord
+Lovat, with fear and embarrassment. No aid was to be had from Lovat,
+and, obtaining some slight refreshment, the prince rode on.
+
+He obtained his next rest and repast at Invergarry, the castle of the
+laird of Glengarry, and continued his journey into the west Highlands,
+where he found shelter in a village called Glenbeisdale, near where he
+had landed on his expedition for the conquest of England. For nearly a
+year he had been in Scotland, pursuing a career of mingled success and
+defeat, and was now back at his original landing-place, a hopeless
+fugitive. Here some of the leaders of his late army communicated with
+him. They had a thousand men still together, and vowed that they would
+not give up hope while there were cattle in the Highlands or meal in the
+Lowlands. But Prince Charles refused to deal with such a forlorn hope.
+He would seek France, he said, and return with a powerful
+reinforcement. With this answer he left the mainland, sailing for Long
+Island, in the Hebrides, where he hoped to find a French vessel.
+
+And now dangers, disappointments, and hardships surrounded the fugitive.
+The rebellion was at an end; retribution was in its full tide. The
+Highlands were being scoured, the remnants of the defeated army
+scattered or massacred, the adherents of the Pretender seized, and
+Charles himself was sought for with unremitting activity. The islands in
+particular were closely searched, as it was believed that he had fled to
+their shelter. His peril was extreme. No vessel was to be had. Storms,
+contrary winds, various disappointments attended him. He sought one
+hiding-place after another in Long Island and those adjoining, exposed
+to severe hardships, and frequently having to fly from one place of
+shelter to another. In the end he reached the island of South Uist,
+where he found a faithful friend in Clanranald, one of his late
+adherents. Here he was lodged in a ruined forester's hut, situated near
+the summit of the wild mountain called Corradale. Even this remote and
+almost inaccessible shelter grew dangerous. The island was suspected,
+and a force of not less than two thousand men landed on it, with orders
+to search the interior with the closest scrutiny, while small
+war-vessels, cutters, armed boats, and the like surrounded the island,
+rendering escape by water almost hopeless. It was in this critical state
+of affairs that the devotion of a woman came to the rescue of the
+imperilled Prince. Flora McDonald was visiting the family of
+Clanranald. She wished to return to her home in Skye. At her suggestion
+the chief provided her with the attendants whom we have already
+described, her awkward maid-servant Betty Bruce being no less a
+personage than the wandering prince. The daring and devoted lady was
+step-daughter to a chief of Sir Alexander McDonald's clan, who was on
+the king's side, and in command of a section of the party of search.
+From him Flora obtained a passport for herself and two servants, and was
+thus enabled to pass in safety through the cordon of investing boats. No
+one suspected the humble-looking Betty Bruce as being a flying prince.
+And so it was that the bird had passed through the net of the fowlers,
+and found shelter in the island of Skye.
+
+And now we must return to the fugitives, whom we left concealed in a
+basaltic cavern on the rocky coast of Skye. The keen-witted Flora had
+devised a new and bold plan for the safety of her charge, no less a one
+than that of trusting the Lady Margaret McDonald, wife of Sir Alexander,
+with her dangerous secret. This seemed like penetrating the very
+stronghold of the foe; but the women of the Highlands had--most of
+them--a secret leaning to Jacobitism, and Flora felt that she could
+trust her high-born relative.
+
+She did so, telling Lady Margaret her story. The lady heard it with
+intense alarm. What to do she did not know. She would not betray the
+prince, but her husband was absent, her house filled with militia
+officers, and shelter within its walls impossible. In this dilemma she
+suggested that Flora should conduct the disguised prince to the house of
+McDonald of Kingsburgh, her husband's steward, a brave and intelligent
+man, in whom she could fully trust.
+
+Returning to the cavern, the courageous girl did as suggested, and had
+the good fortune to bring her charge through in safety, though more than
+once suspicion was raised. At Kingsburgh the connection of Flora
+McDonald with the unfortunate prince ended. Her wit and shrewdness had
+saved him from inevitable capture. He was now out of the immediate range
+of search of his enemies, and must henceforth trust to his own devices.
+
+From Kingsburgh the fugitive sought the island of Rasa, led by a guide
+supplied by McDonald, and wearing the dress of a servant. The laird of
+Rasa had taken part in the rebellion, and his domain had been plundered
+in consequence. Food was scarce, and Charles suffered great distress. He
+next followed his seeming master to the land of the laird of MacKinnon,
+but, finding himself still in peril, felt compelled to leave the
+islands, and once more landed on the Scottish mainland at Loch Nevis.
+
+Here his peril was as imminent as it had been at South Uist. It was the
+country of Lochiel, Glengarry, and other Jacobite chiefs, and was filled
+with soldiers, diligently seeking the leaders of the insurrection.
+Charles and his guides found themselves surrounded by foes. A complete
+line of sentinels, who crossed each other upon their posts, inclosed the
+district in which he had sought refuge, and escape seemed impossible.
+The country was rough, bushy, and broken; and he and his companions were
+forced to hide in defiles and woodland shelters, where they dared not
+light a fire, and from which they could see distant soldiers and hear
+the calls of the sentinels.
+
+For two days they remained thus cooped up, not knowing at what minute
+they might be taken, and almost hopeless of escape. Fortunately, they
+discovered a deep and dark ravine that led down from the mountains
+through the line of sentries. The posts of two of these reached to the
+edges of the ravine, on opposite sides. Down this gloomy and rough
+defile crept noiselessly the fugitives, hearing the tread of the
+sentinels above their heads as they passed the point of danger. No alarm
+was given, and the hostile line was safely passed. Once more the
+fugitive prince had escaped.
+
+And now for a considerable time Charles wandered through the rough
+Highland mountains, his clothes in rags, often without food and shelter,
+and not daring to kindle a fire; vainly hoping to find a French vessel
+hovering off the coast, and at length reaching the mountains of
+Strathglass. Here he, with Glenaladale, his companion at that time,
+sought shelter in a cavern, only to find it the lurking-place of a gang
+of robbers, or rather of outlaws, who had taken part in the rebellion,
+and were here in hiding. There were seven of these, who lived on sheep
+and cattle raided in the surrounding country.
+
+These men looked on the ragged suppliants of their good-will at first as
+fugitives of their own stamp. But they quickly recognized, in the most
+tattered of the wanderers, that "Bonnie Charlie" for whom they had
+risked their lives upon the battle-field, and for whom they still felt a
+passionate devotion. They hailed his appearance among them with
+gladness, and expressed themselves as his ardent and faithful servants
+in life and death.
+
+In this den of robbers the unfortunate prince was soon made more
+comfortable than he had been since his flight from Culloden. Their faith
+was unquestionable, their activity in his service unremitting. Food was
+abundant, and, in addition, they volunteered to provide him with decent
+clothing, and tidings of the movements of the enemy. The first was
+accomplished somewhat ferociously. Two of the outlaws met the servant of
+an officer, on his way to Fort Augustus with his master's baggage. This
+poor fellow they killed, and thus provided their guest with a good stock
+of clothing. Another of them, in disguise, made his way into Fort
+Augustus. Here he learned much about the movements of the troops, and,
+eager to provide the prince with something choice in the way of food,
+brought him back a pennyworth of gingerbread,--a valuable luxury to his
+simple soul.
+
+For three weeks Charles remained with these humble but devoted friends.
+It was not easy to break away from their enthusiastic loyalty.
+
+"Stay with us," they said; "the mountains of gold which the government
+has set upon your head may induce some gentleman to betray you, for he
+can go to a distant country and live upon the price of his dishonor. But
+to us there exists no such temptation. We can speak no language but our
+own, we can live nowhere but in this country, where, were we to injure a
+hair of your head, the very mountains would fall down to crush us to
+death. Do not leave us, then. You will nowhere be so safe as with us."
+
+This advice was hardly to Charles's taste. He preferred court-life in
+France to cave-life in Scotland, and did not cease his efforts to
+escape. His purposes were aided by an instance of enthusiastic devotion.
+A young man named McKenzie, son of an Edinburgh goldsmith, and a
+fugitive officer from the defeated army, happened to resemble the prince
+closely in face and person. He was attacked by a party of soldiers,
+defended himself bravely, and when mortally wounded, cried out, "Ah,
+villains, you have slain your prince!"
+
+His generous design proved successful. His head was cut off, and sent to
+London as that of the princely fugitive, which it resembled so closely
+that it was some time before the mistake was discovered. This error
+proved of the utmost advantage to the prince. The search was greatly
+relaxed, and he found it safe to leave the shelter of his cave, and
+seek some of his late adherents, of whose movements he had been kept
+informed. He therefore bade farewell to the faithful outlaws, with the
+exception of two, who accompanied him as guides and guards.
+
+Safety was not yet assured. It was with much difficulty, and at great
+risk, that he succeeded in meeting his lurking adherents, Lochiel and
+Cluny McPherson, who were hiding in Badenoch. Here was an extensive
+forest, the property of Cluny, extending over the side of a mountain,
+called Benalder. In a deep thicket of this forest was a well-concealed
+hut, called the Cage. In this the fugitives took up their residence, and
+lived there in some degree of comfort and safety, the game of the forest
+and its waters supplying them with abundant food.
+
+Word was soon after brought to Charles that two French frigates had
+arrived at Lochnanuagh, their purpose being to carry him and other
+fugitives to France. The news of their arrival spread rapidly through
+the district, which held many fugitives from Culloden, and on the 20th
+of September Charles and Lochiel, with nearly one hundred others of his
+party, embarked on these friendly vessels, and set sail for France.
+Cluny McPherson refused to go. He remained concealed in his own country
+for several years, and served as the agent by which Charles kept up a
+correspondence with the Highlanders.
+
+On September 29 the fugitive prince landed near Morlaix, in Brittany,
+having been absent from France about fourteen months, five of which had
+been months of the most perilous and precarious series of escapes and
+adventures ever recorded of a princely fugitive in history or romance.
+During these months of flight and concealment several hundred persons
+had been aware of his movements, but none, high or low, noble or outlaw,
+had a thought of betraying his secret. Among them all, the devoted Flora
+McDonald stands first, and her name has become historically famous
+through her invaluable services to the prince.
+
+
+
+
+_TRAFALGAR AND THE DEATH OF NELSON._
+
+
+From the main peak of the flag-ship Victory hung out Admiral Nelson's
+famous signal, "England expects every man to do his duty!" an inspiring
+appeal, which has been the motto of English warriors since that day. The
+fleet under the command of the great admiral was drawing slowly in upon
+the powerful naval array of France, which lay awaiting him off the rocky
+shore of Cape Trafalgar. It was the morning of October 21, 1805, the
+dawn of the greatest day in the naval history of Great Britain.
+
+Let us rapidly trace the events which led up to this scene,--the
+prologue to the drama about to be played. The year 1805 was one of
+threatening peril to England. Napoleon was then in the ambitious youth
+of his power, full of dreams of universal empire, his mind set on an
+invasion of the pestilent little island across the channel which should
+rival the "Invincible Armada" in power and far surpass it in
+performance.
+
+Gigantic had been his preparations. Holland and Belgium were his, their
+coast-line added to that of France. In a hundred harbors all was
+activity, munitions being collected, and flat-bottomed boats built, in
+readiness to carry an invading army to England's shores. The landing of
+William the Conqueror in 1066 was to be repeated in 1805. The land
+forces were encamped at Boulogne. Here the armament was to meet.
+Meanwhile, the allied fleets of France and Spain were to patrol the
+Channel, one part of them to keep Nelson at bay, the other part to
+escort the flotilla bearing the invading army.
+
+While Napoleon was thus busy, his enemies were not idle. The warships of
+England hovered near the French ports, watching all movements, doing
+what damage they could. Lord Nelson keenly observed the hostile fleet.
+To throw him off the track, two French naval squadrons set sail for the
+West Indies, as if to attack the British islands there. Nelson followed.
+Suddenly turning, the decoying squadron came back under a press of sail,
+joined the Spanish fleet, and sailed for England. Nelson had not
+returned, but a strong fleet remained, under Sir Robert Calder, which
+was handled in such fashion as to drive the hostile ships back to the
+harbor of Cadiz.
+
+Such was the state of affairs when Nelson again reached England. Full of
+the spirit of battle, he hoisted his flag on the battle-ship Victory,
+and set sail in search of his foes. There were twenty-seven
+line-of-battle ships and four frigates under his command. The French
+fleet, under Admiral Villeneuve, numbered thirty-three sail of the line
+and seven frigates. Napoleon, dissatisfied with the disinclination of
+his fleet to meet that of England, and confident in its strength,
+issued positive orders, and Villeneuve sailed out of the harbor of
+Cadiz, and took position in two crescent-shaped lines off Cape
+Trafalgar. As soon as Nelson saw him he came on with the eagerness of a
+lion in sight of its prey, his fleet likewise in two lines, his signal
+flags fluttering with the inspiring order, "England expects every man to
+do his duty."
+
+The wind was from the west, blowing in light breezes; a long, heavy
+swell ruffled the sea. Down came the great ships, Collingwood, in the
+Royal Sovereign, commanding the lee-line; Nelson, in the Victory,
+leading the weather division. One order Nelson had given, which breathes
+the inflexible spirit of the man. "His admirals and captains, knowing
+his object to be that of a close and decisive action, would supply any
+deficiency of signals, and act accordingly. In case signals cannot be
+seen or clearly understood, _no captain can do wrong if he places his
+ship alongside that of an enemy_."
+
+Nelson wore that day his admiral's frock-coat, bearing on the breast
+four stars, the emblems of the orders with which he had been invested.
+His officers beheld these ornaments with apprehension. There were
+riflemen on the French ships. He was offering himself as a mark for
+their aim. Yet none dare suggest that he should remove or cover the
+stars. "In honor I gained them, and in honor I will die with them," he
+had said on a previous occasion.
+
+The long swell set in to the bay of Cadiz. The English ships moved with
+it, all sail set, a light southwest wind filling their canvas. Before
+them lay the French ships, with the morning sun on their sails,
+presenting a stately and beautiful appearance.
+
+On came the English fleet, like a flock of giant birds swooping low
+across the ocean. Like a white flock at rest awaited the French
+three-deckers. Collingwood's line was the first to come into action,
+Nelson steering more to the north, that the flight of the enemy to
+Cadiz, in case of their defeat, should be prevented. Straight for the
+centre of the foeman's line steered the Royal Sovereign, taking her
+station side by side with the Santa Anna, which she engaged at the
+muzzle of her guns.
+
+"What would Nelson give to be here!" exclaimed Collingwood, in delight.
+
+"See how that noble fellow, Collingwood, carries his ship into action!"
+responded Nelson from the deck of the Victory.
+
+It was not long before the two fleets were in hot action, the British
+ships following Collingwood's lead in coming to close quarters with the
+enemy. As the Victory approached, the French ships opened with
+broadsides upon her, in hopes of disabling her before she could close
+with them. Not a shot was returned, though men were falling on her decks
+until fifty lay dead or wounded, and her main-top-mast, with all her
+studding-sails and booms, had been shot away.
+
+[Illustration: THE OLD TEMERAIRE.]
+
+"This is too warm work, Hardy, to last," said Nelson, with a smile, as a
+splinter tore the buckle from the captain's shoe.
+
+Twelve o'clock came and passed. The Victory was now well in. Firing from
+both sides as she advanced, she ran in side by side with the
+Redoubtable, of the French fleet, both ships pouring broadsides into
+each other. On the opposite side of the Redoubtable came up the English
+ship Temeraire, while another ship of the enemy lay on the opposite side
+of the latter.
+
+The four ships lay head to head and side to side, as close as if they
+had been moored together, the muzzles of their guns almost touching. So
+close were they that the middle-and lower-deck guns of the Victory had
+to be depressed and fired with light charges, lest their balls should
+pierce through the foe and injure the Temeraire. And lest the
+Redoubtable should take fire from the lower-deck guns, whose muzzles
+touched her side when they were run out, the fireman of each gun stood
+ready with a bucket of water to dash into the hole made by the shot.
+While the starboard guns of the Victory were thus employed, her larboard
+guns were in full play upon the Bucentaure and the huge Santissima
+Trinidad. This warm work was repeated through the entire fleet. Never
+had been closer and hotter action.
+
+The fight had reached its hottest when there came a tragical event that
+rendered the victory at Trafalgar, glorious as it was, a loss to
+England. The Redoubtable, after her first broadside, had closed her
+lower-deck ports, lest the English should board her through them. She
+did not fire another great gun during the action. But her tops, like
+those of her consorts, were filled with riflemen, whose balls swept the
+decks of the assailing ships. One of these, fired from the mizzen-top of
+the Redoubtable, not fifteen yards from where Nelson stood, struck him
+on the left shoulder, piercing the epaulette. It was about quarter after
+one, in the heat of the action. He fell upon his face.
+
+"They have done for me, at last, Hardy," he said, as his captain ran to
+his assistance.
+
+"I hope not!" cried Hardy.
+
+"Yes," he replied, "my backbone is shot through."
+
+A thorough sailor to the last, he saw, as they were carrying him below,
+that the tiller ropes which had been shot away were not replaced, and
+ordered that this should be immediately attended to. Then, that he might
+not be seen by the crew, he spread his handkerchief over his face and
+his stars. But for his needless risk in revealing them before, he might
+have lived.
+
+The cockpit was crowded with the wounded and dying men. Over their
+bodies he was carried, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen's berth.
+The wound was mortal. A brief examination showed this. He had known it
+from the first, and said to the surgeon,--
+
+"Leave me, and give your services to those for whom there is some hope.
+You can do nothing for me."
+
+Such was the fact. All that could be done was to fan him, and relieve
+his intense thirst with lemonade. On deck the fight continued with
+undiminished fury. The English star was in the ascendant. Ship after
+ship of the enemy struck, the cheers of the crew of the Victory
+heralding each surrender, while every cheer brought a smile of joy to
+the face of the dying veteran.
+
+"Will no one bring Hardy to me?" he repeatedly cried. "He must be
+killed! He is surely dead!"
+
+In truth, the captain dared not leave the deck. More than an hour
+elapsed before he was able to come down. He grasped in silence the hand
+of the dying admiral.
+
+"Well, Hardy, how goes the day with us?" asked Nelson, eagerly.
+
+"Very well," was the answer. "Ten ships have struck; but five of the van
+have tacked, and show an intention to bear down upon the Victory. I have
+called two or three of our fresh ships around, and have no doubt of
+giving them a drubbing."
+
+"I hope none of our ships have struck," said Nelson.
+
+"There is no fear of that," answered Hardy.
+
+Then came a moment's silence, and then Nelson spoke of himself.
+
+"I am a dead man, Hardy," he said. "I am going fast; it will be all
+over with me soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady Hamilton have my
+hair and all other things belonging to me."
+
+"I hope it is not so bad as that," said Hardy, with much emotion. "Dr.
+Beatty must yet hold out some hope of life."
+
+"Oh, no, that is impossible," said Nelson. "My back is shot through:
+Beatty will tell you so."
+
+Captain Hardy grasped his hand again, the tears standing in his eyes,
+and then hurried on deck to hide the emotion he could scarcely repress.
+
+Life slowly left the frame of the dying hero: every minute he was nearer
+death. Sensation vanished below his breast. He made the surgeon test and
+acknowledge this.
+
+"You know I am gone," he said. "I know it. I feel something rising in my
+breast which tells me so."
+
+"Is your pain great?" asked Beatty.
+
+"So great, that I wish I were dead. Yet," he continued, in lower tones,
+"one would like to live a little longer, too."
+
+A few moments of silence passed; then he said in the same low tone,--
+
+"What would become of my poor Lady Hamilton if she knew my situation?"
+
+Fifteen minutes elapsed before Captain Hardy returned. On doing so, he
+warmly grasped Nelson's hand, and in tones of joy congratulated him on
+the victory which he had come to announce.
+
+"How many of the enemy are taken, I cannot say," he remarked; "the
+smoke hides them; but we have not less than fourteen or fifteen."
+
+"That's well," cried Nelson, "but I bargained for twenty. Anchor, Hardy,
+anchor!" he commanded, in a stronger voice.
+
+"Will not Admiral Collingwood take charge of the fleet?" hinted Hardy.
+
+"Not while I live, Hardy," answered Nelson, with an effort to lift
+himself in his bed. "Do you anchor."
+
+Hardy started to obey this last order of his beloved commander. In a low
+tone Nelson called him back.
+
+"Don't throw me overboard, Hardy," he pleaded. "Take me home that I may
+be buried by my parents, unless the king shall order otherwise. And take
+care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy; take care of poor Lady Hamilton.
+Kiss me, Hardy."
+
+The weeping captain knelt and kissed him.
+
+"Now I am satisfied," said the dying hero. "Thank God, I have done my
+duty."
+
+Hardy stood and looked down, in sad silence upon him, then again knelt
+and kissed him on the forehead.
+
+"Who is that?" asked Nelson.
+
+"It is I, Hardy," was the reply.
+
+"God bless you, Hardy," came in tones just above a whisper.
+
+Hardy turned and left. He could bear no more. He had looked his last on
+his old commander.
+
+"I wish I had not left the deck," said Nelson; "for I see I shall soon
+be gone."
+
+It was true; life was fast ebbing.
+
+"Doctor," he said to the chaplain, "I have not been a _great_ sinner."
+He was silent a moment, and then continued, "Remember that I leave Lady
+Hamilton and my daughter Horatia as a legacy to my country."
+
+Words now came with difficulty.
+
+"Thank God, I have done my duty," he said, repeating these words again
+and again. They were his last words. He died at half-past four, three
+and a quarter hours after he had been wounded.
+
+Meanwhile, Nelson's prediction had been realized: twenty French ships
+had struck their flags. The victory of Trafalgar was complete;
+Napoleon's hope of invading England was at an end. Nelson, dying, had
+saved his country by destroying the fleet of her foes. Never had a sun
+set in greater glory than did the life of this hero of the navy of Great
+Britain, the ruler of the waves.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MASSACRE OF AN ARMY._
+
+
+The sentinels on the ramparts of Jelalabad, a fortified post held by the
+British in Afghanistan, looking out over the plain that extended
+northward and westward from the town, saw a singular-looking person
+approaching. He rode a pony that seemed so jaded with travel that it
+could scarcely lift a foot to continue, its head drooping low as it
+dragged slowly onward. The traveller seemed in as evil plight as his
+horse. His head was bent forward upon his breast, the rein had fallen
+from his nerveless grasp, and he swayed in the saddle as if he could
+barely retain his seat. As he came nearer, and lifted his face for a
+moment, he was seen to be frightfully pale and haggard, with the horror
+of an untold tragedy in his bloodshot eyes. Who was he? An Englishman,
+evidently, perhaps a messenger from the army at Cabul. The officers of
+the fort, notified of his approach, ordered that the gates should be
+opened. In a short time man and horse were within the walls of the town.
+
+So pitiable and woe-begone a spectacle none there had ever beheld. The
+man seemed almost a corpse on horseback. He had fairly to be lifted from
+his saddle, and borne inward to a place of shelter and repose, while the
+animal was scarcely able to make its way to the stable to which it was
+led. As the traveller rested, eager questions ran through the garrison.
+Who was he? How came he in such a condition? What had he to tell of the
+army in the field? Did his coming in this sad plight portend some dark
+disaster?
+
+This curiosity was shared by the officer in command of the fort. Giving
+his worn-out guest no long time to recover, he plied him with inquiries.
+
+"You are exhausted," he said. "I dislike to disturb you, but I beg leave
+to ask you a few questions."
+
+"Go on sir; I can answer," said the traveller, in a weary tone.
+
+"Do you bring a message from General Elphinstone,--from the army?"
+
+"I bring no message. There is no army,--or, rather, I am the army," was
+the enigmatical reply.
+
+"You the army? I do not understand you."
+
+"I represent the army. The others are gone,--dead, massacred,
+prisoners,--man, woman, and child. I, Doctor Brydon, am the army,--all
+that remains of it."
+
+The commander heard him in astonishment and horror. General Elphinstone
+had seventeen thousand soldiers and camp-followers in his camp at Cabul.
+"Did Dr. Brydon mean to say----"
+
+"They are all gone," was the feeble reply. "I am left; all the others
+are slain. You may well look frightened, sir; you would be heart-sick
+with horror had you gone through my experience. I have seen an army
+slaughtered before my eyes, and am here alone to tell it."
+
+It was true; the army had vanished; an event had happened almost without
+precedent in the history of the world, unless we instance the burying of
+the army of Cambyses in the African desert. When Dr. Brydon was
+sufficiently rested and refreshed he told his story. It is the story we
+have here to repeat.
+
+In the summer of 1841 the British army under General Elphinstone lay in
+cantonments near the city of Cabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in a
+position far from safe or well chosen. They were a mile and a half from
+the citadel,--the Bala Hissar,--with a river between. Every corner of
+their cantonments was commanded by hills or Afghan forts. Even their
+provisions were beyond their reach, in case of attack, being stored in a
+fort at some distance from the cantonments. They were in the heart of a
+hostile population. General Elphinstone, trusting too fully in the
+puppet of a khan who had been set up by British bayonets, had carelessly
+kept his command in a weak and untenable position.
+
+The general was old and in bad health; by no means the man for the
+emergency. He was controlled by bad advisers, who thought only of
+returning to India, and discouraged the strengthening of the fortress.
+The officers lost heart on seeing the supineness of their leader. The
+men were weary of incessant watching, annoyed by the insults of the
+natives, discouraged by frequent reports of the death of comrades, who
+had been picked off by roving enemies. The ladies alone retained
+confidence, occupying themselves in the culture of their gardens, which,
+in the delightful summer climate of that situation, rewarded their
+labors with an abundance of flowers.
+
+As time went on the situation grew rapidly worse. Akbar Khan, the
+leading spirit among the hostile Afghans, came down from the north and
+occupied the Khoord Cabul Pass,--the only way back to Hindustan.
+Ammunition was failing, food was decreasing, the enemy were growing
+daily stronger and more aggressive. Affairs had come to such a pass that
+but one of two things remained to do,--to leave the cantonments and seek
+shelter in the citadel till help should arrive, or to endeavor to march
+back to India.
+
+On the 23d of December the garrison was alarmed by a frightful example
+of boldness and ferocity in the enemy. Sir William Macnaughten, the
+English envoy, who had left the works to treat with the Afghan chiefs,
+was seized by Akbar Khan and murdered on the spot, his head, with its
+green spectacles, being held up in derision to the soldiers within the
+works.
+
+The British were now "advised" by the Afghans to go back to India. There
+was, in truth, nothing else to do. They were starving where they were.
+If they should fight their way to the citadel, they would be besieged
+there without food. They must go, whatever the risk or hardships. On
+the 6th of January the fatal march began,--a march of four thousand five
+hundred soldiers and twelve thousand camp-followers, besides women and
+children, through a mountainous country, filled with savage foes, and in
+severe winter weather.
+
+The first day's march took them but five miles from the works, the
+evacuation taking place so slowly that it was two o'clock in the morning
+before the last of the force came up. It had been a march of frightful
+conditions. Attacked by the Afghans on every side, hundreds of the
+fugitives perished in those first five dreadful miles. As the advance
+body waited in the snow for those in the rear to join them, the glare of
+flames from the burning cantonments told that the evacuation had been
+completed, and that the whole multitude was now at the mercy of its
+savage foes. It was evident that they had a frightful gantlet to run
+through the fire of the enemy and the winters chilling winds. The snow
+through which they had slowly toiled was reddened with blood all the way
+back to Cabul. Baggage was abandoned, and men and women alike pushed
+forward for their lives, some of them, in the haste of flight, but
+half-clad, few sufficiently protected from the severe cold.
+
+The succeeding days were days of massacre and horror. The fierce
+hill-tribes swarmed around the troops, attacking them in front, flank,
+and rear, pouring in their fire from every point of vantage, slaying
+them in hundreds, in thousands, as they moved hopelessly on. The
+despairing men fought bravely. Many of the foe suffered for their
+temerity. But they were like prairie-wolves around the dying bison; the
+retreating force lay helpless in their hands; two new foes took the
+place of every one that fell.
+
+Each day's horrors surpassed those of the last. The camp-followers died
+in hundreds from cold and starvation, their frost-bitten feet refusing
+to support them. Crawling in among the rugged rocks that bordered the
+road, they lay there helplessly awaiting death. The soldiers fell in
+hundreds. It grew worse as they entered the contracted mountain-pass
+through which their road led. Here the ferocious foe swarmed among the
+rocks, and poured death from the heights upon the helpless fugitives. It
+was impossible to dislodge them. Natural breastworks commanded every
+foot of that terrible road. The hardy Afghan mountaineers climbed with
+the agility of goats over the hill-sides, occupying hundreds of points
+which the soldiers could not reach. It was a carnival of slaughter.
+Nothing remained for the helpless fugitives but to push forward with all
+speed through that frightful mountain-pass and gain as soon as possible
+the open ground beyond.
+
+Few gained it. On the fourth day from Cabul there were but two hundred
+and seventy soldiers left. The fifth day found the seventeen thousand
+fugitives reduced to five thousand. A day more, and these five thousand
+were nearly all slain. Only twenty men remained of the great body of
+fugitives which had left Cabul less than a week before. This handful of
+survivors was still relentlessly pursued. A barrier detained them for a
+deadly interval under the fire of the foe, and eight of the twenty died
+in seeking to cross it. The pass was traversed, but the army was gone. A
+dozen worn-out fugitives were all that remained alive.
+
+On they struggled towards Jelalabad, death following them still. They
+reached the last town on their road; but six of them had fallen. These
+six were starving. They had not tasted food for days. Some peasants
+offered them bread. They devoured it like famished wolves. But as they
+did so the inhabitants of the town seized their arms and assailed them.
+Two of them were cut down. The others fled, but were hotly pursued.
+Three of the four were overtaken and slain within four miles of
+Jelalabad. Dr. Brydon alone remained, and gained the fort alone, the
+sole survivor, as he believed and reported, of the seventeen thousand
+fugitives. The Afghan chiefs had boasted that they would allow only one
+man to live, to warn the British to meddle no more with Afghanistan.
+Their boast seemed literally fulfilled. Only one man had traversed in
+safety that "valley of the shadow of death."
+
+Fortunately, there were more living than Dr. Brydon was aware of. Akbar
+Khan had offered to save the ladies and children if the married and
+wounded officers were delivered into his hands. This was done. General
+Elphinstone was among the prisoners, and died in captivity, a relief to
+himself and his friends from the severe account to which the government
+would have been obliged to call him.
+
+Now for the sequel to this story of suffering and slaughter. The
+invasion of Afghanistan by the English had been for the purpose of
+protecting the Indian frontier. A prince, Shah Soojah, friendly to
+England, was placed on the throne. This prince was repudiated by the
+Afghan tribes, and to their bitter and savage hostility was due the
+result which we have briefly described. It was a result with which the
+British authorities were not likely to remain satisfied. The news of the
+massacre sent a thrill of horror through the civilized world.
+Retribution was the sole thought in British circles in India. A strong
+force was at once collected to punish the Afghans and rescue the
+prisoners. Under General Pollock it fought its way through the Khyber
+Pass and reached Jelalabad. Thence it advanced to Cabul, the soldiers,
+infuriated by the sight of the bleaching skeletons that thickly lined
+the roadway, assailing the Afghans with a ferocity equal to their own.
+Wherever armed Afghans were met death was their portion. Nowhere could
+they stand against the maddened English troops. Filled with terror, they
+fled for safety to the mountains, the invading force having terribly
+revenged their slaughtered countrymen.
+
+It next remained to rescue the prisoners. They had been carried about
+from fort to fort, suffering many hardships and discomforts, but not
+being otherwise maltreated. They were given up to the British, after the
+recapture of Cabul, with the hope that this would satisfy these terrible
+avengers. It did so. The fortifications of Cabul were destroyed, and the
+British army was withdrawn from the country. England had paid bitterly
+for the mistake of occupying it. The bones of a slaughtered army paved
+the road that led to the Afghan capital.
+
+
+
+
+_THE ROYAL AND DIAMOND JUBILEES OF QUEEN VICTORIA._
+
+
+In the year 1887 came a great occasion in the life of England's queen,
+that of the fiftieth anniversary of her reign, a year of holiday and
+festivity that extended to all quarters of the world, for the broad
+girdle of British dominion had during her reign extended to embrace the
+globe. India led the way, the rejoicing over the royal jubilee of its
+empress extending throughout its vast area, from the snowy passes of the
+Himalayas on the north to the tropic shores of Cape Comorin on the
+south. Other colonies joined in the festivities, the loyal Canadians
+vieing with the free-hearted Australians, the semi-bronzed Africanders
+and the planters of the West Indies, in the celebration of the joyous
+anniversary year.
+
+In the history of England there have been only four such jubilees, the
+earlier ones being those of Henry III., Edward III., and George III. It
+is a curious coincidence that of these three sovereigns preceding
+Victoria whose reigns extended over fifty years, each of them was the
+third of his name. Victoria broke the rule in this as well as in the
+breadth and splendor of the jubilee display and rejoicings. To show this
+a few lines must be devoted to these earlier occasions.
+
+The reign of Henry III. was memorable as being that in which trial by
+jury was introduced and the first real English Parliament, that summoned
+by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, was held. It was this that
+gives eclat to the jubilee year, 1265, for it was in that year that the
+first Parliament convened. Yet sorrow rather than rejoicing marked the
+year, for the horrors of civil war rent the land and the bloody battle
+of Evesham saddened all loyal souls.
+
+The jubilee of Edward III. came in 1376, when that monarch entered the
+fiftieth year of his reign. This was a year fitted for rejoicing, for
+the age was one of glory and prosperity. The horrors of the "black
+death," which had swept the land some twenty years before, were
+forgotten and men were in a happy mood. We read of tournaments,
+processions, feasts and pageantry in which all the people participated.
+Yet sorrow came before the year ended, for the death of the "Black
+Prince," the most brilliant hero of chivalry, was sorely mourned by his
+father, the king, and by the subjects of the realm, while the rising
+clouds of civil war threw a gloom on the end of the jubilee year, as
+they had on that of Henry.
+
+More than four centuries elapsed before another jubilee year arrived,
+that of George III., the fiftieth year of whose reign came in 1810. It
+was a year of festivities that spread widely over the land, the people
+entering into it with all the Anglo-Saxon love of holiday. In addition
+to the grand state banquets, splendid balls, showy reviews and general
+illuminations, there were open-air feasts free to all, at which bullocks
+were roasted whole, while army and navy deserters were pardoned,
+prisoners of war set free, and a great subscription was made for the
+release from prison of poor debtors.
+
+Yet there was little in the character of the king or the state of the
+country to justify these festivities. England was then in the throes of
+its struggle with Napoleon; the king had lost his reason, the Prince of
+Wales acting as regent; the only reason for rejoicing was that the
+inglorious career of George III. seemed nearing its end. Yet he survived
+for ten years more, not dying until 1820, and surpassing all
+predecessors in the length of his reign.
+
+When, in the year 1887, Queen Victoria reached the fiftieth year of her
+reign, there were none of these causes for sorrow in her realm. England
+was in the height of prosperity, free from the results of blighting
+pestilence, disastrous wars, desolating famine, or any of the horrors
+that steep great nations in heart-breaking sorrow. The empire was
+immense in extent, prosperous in all its parts, and the queen was
+beloved throughout her wide dominions as no monarch of England had ever
+been before. Thus it was a year in which the people could rejoice
+without a shadow to darken their joy and with warm love for their queen
+to make their hilarity a real instead of a simulated one.
+
+It was in far-off India, of which Victoria had been proclaimed empress
+ten years before, that the first note of rejoicing was heard. The 16th
+of February was selected as the date of the imperial festival, which was
+celebrated all over the land, even in Mandalay, the capital of the
+newly-conquered state of Upper Burmah. Europeans and natives alike took
+part in the ceremonies and rejoicings, which embraced banquets, plays,
+reviews, illuminations, the distribution of honors, the opening in honor
+of the empress of libraries, colleges and hospitals, and at Gwalior the
+cancelling of the arrears of the land-tax amounting to five million
+dollars.
+
+The fiftieth year of the queen's reign would be completed on the 20th of
+June, but in the preceding months of the year many preliminary
+ceremonies took place in England. Among these was a splendid reception
+of the queen at Birmingham, which city she visited on the 23d of March.
+The streets were richly decorated with flags, festoons, triumphal
+arches, banks of flowers, and trophies illustrating the industries of
+that metropolis of manufacture, while the streets were thronged with
+half a million of rejoicing people. A striking feature of the occasion
+was a semi-circle of fifteen thousand school-children, a mile long, the
+teachers standing behind each school-group, and a continuous strain of
+"God Save the Queen" hailing the royal progress along the line.
+
+On the 4th of May the queen received at Windsor Castle the
+representatives of the colonial governments, whose addresses showed that
+during her reign the colonial subjects of the empire had increased from
+less than 2,000,000 to more than 9,000,000 souls, the Indian subjects
+from 96,000,000 to 254,000,000, and those of minor dependencies from
+2,000,000 to 7,000,000.
+
+There were various other incidents connected with the Jubilee during
+May, one being a visit of the queen to the American "Wild West Show,"
+and another the opening of the "People's Palace" at Whitechapel, in
+which fifteen thousand troops were ranged along seven miles of
+splendidly decorated streets, while the testimony of the people to their
+affection for their queen was as enthusiastic as it had been at
+Birmingham. Day after day other ceremonial occasions arrived, including
+banquets, balls, assemblies and public festivities of many kinds, from
+the feeding of four thousand of the poor at Glasgow to a yacht race
+around the British Islands.
+
+The great Jubilee celebration, however, was reserved for the 21st of
+June, the chief streets of London being given over to a host of
+decorators, who transformed them into a glowing bower of beauty. The
+route set aside for the imposing procession was one long array of
+brilliant color and shifting brightness almost impossible to describe
+and surpassing all former festive demonstrations.
+
+The line of the royal procession extended from Buckingham Palace to
+Westminster Abbey, along which route windows and seats had been secured
+at fabulous prices, while the throng of sightseers that densely crowded
+the streets was in the best of good humor.
+
+As the procession moved slowly along from Buckingham Palace a strange
+silence fell upon the gossipping crowd as they awaited the coming of the
+aged queen, on her way to the old Abbey to celebrate in state the
+fiftieth year of her reign. When the head of the procession moved onward
+and the royal carriages came within sight, the awed feeling that had
+prevailed was followed by one of tumultuous enthusiasm, volley after
+volley of cheers rending the air as the carriage bearing the royal lady
+passed between the two dense lines of loyal spectators.
+
+With a face tremulous with emotion the queen bowed from side to side in
+grateful courtesy to her acclaiming subjects, as did her companions, the
+Princess of Wales and the German Crown Princess, who had returned to her
+native land to take part in its holiday of patriotism.
+
+Six cream-colored horses drew the stately carriage in which the royal
+party rode, the Duke of Cambridge and an escort accompanying it, while a
+body-guard of princes followed, the Prince of Wales being mounted on a
+golden chestnut horse and sharing with his mother the cheers of the
+throng. Preceding this escort and the queen's carriage was a series of
+carriages in which were seated the sumptuously appareled Indian princes,
+clothed in cloth of gold and wearing turbans glittering with diamonds
+and other precious gems. Prominent in the group of mounted princes was
+the German Crown Prince Frederick, who succeeded to the throne as
+Emperor Frederick III. in the following March and died in the following
+June, in less than a year from his appearance in the Jubilee. But there
+was no presage of his quick-coming death in his present appearance, his
+white uniform and plumed silver helmet attracting general admiration,
+while he sat his horse as proudly as a knight of old and was covered
+with medals and decorations significant of his prowess in battle. A
+gorgeous cavalcade of natives of India completed the procession, than
+which none of greater brilliance had ever been seen in London streets.
+
+In the Abbey were gathered from nine to ten thousand spectators, of the
+noblest families of the land, and dressed in their most effective
+attire, while the lights brought out the glitter of thousands of
+gleaming gems. The queen herself, while dressed in rich black, wore a
+bonnet of white Spanish lace that glittered with diamonds.
+
+[Illustration: WINDSOR CASTLE, NORTH FRONT.]
+
+As she entered the Abbey the organ pealed forth the strains of a
+triumphal march. There followed a Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, brief
+and simple, and special prayers by the Archbishop of Canterbury. As a
+finale to the impressive scene the queen, moved to deep emotion,
+embraced with warm affection the princes and princesses of her house,
+and, with a deep bow to her foreign guests, withdrew from the scene, to
+return to the palace over the same route and through similar
+demonstrations of enthusiastic loyalty.
+
+All over England and Ireland and in the colonies the day was celebrated
+by joyous celebrations, and in foreign lands, especially in the United
+States, the British residents fittingly honored the festive occasion.
+
+On the following day, in Hyde Park, London, the queen drove in state
+down a long and happy line of twenty-seven thousand school-children, who
+had been made happy by a banquet and various amusements, besides being
+given a multitude of toys. The special feature of the occasion was the
+presentation by the queen of a specially manufactured jubilee-ring,
+which she gave with a kind speech to a very happy twelve-year-old girl
+who had attended school for several years without missing a session.
+
+There was also a review of fifty-six thousand volunteers at Aldershot, a
+grand review of one hundred and thirty-five warships at Spithead, and
+other ceremonies, one of the chief of which was the laying by the queen,
+on the 4th of July, of the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute in
+the Albert Hall, this Institute being intended to stand as a sign of the
+essential unity of the British Empire.
+
+The well-loved queen of the British nation was to live to celebrate in
+health and strength another jubilee year, that of the sixtieth
+anniversary of her reign, a distinction in which she stands alone in
+the history of the island kingdom. George III., who came nearest, died a
+few months before the completion of his sixty years' period. Had he
+lived to fulfil it there would have been no celebration, for he had
+become a broken wreck, blind and hopelessly insane, a man who lived
+despised and died unmourned.
+
+But Victoria, though nearly eighty years of age, had still several years
+to live and was fully capable of performing the duties of her position.
+No monarch of England had reigned so long, none had enjoyed to so great
+an extent the love and respect of the people, in no previous reign had
+there been an equal progress in all that conduces to happiness and
+prosperity, in none had the dominion of the throne of Great Britain so
+widely extended, and it was felt for many reasons desirable to make the
+Diamond Jubilee, as it was termed, the occasion for the most magnificent
+demonstration that either England or the world had ever yet seen.
+
+In all its features the observance lasted a month. It was not confined
+to the British Isles, but extended to the dominions of the queen
+throughout the world, in all of which some form of festive celebration
+took place. But the chief and great event of the occasion was the
+unrivalled procession in London on the 22d of June, 1897, an affair in
+which all the world took part, not only representatives of the
+wide-sweeping possessions of the British crown, but dignitaries from
+most of the other nations of the world being present to add grandeur
+and completeness to the splendid display.
+
+To describe it in full would need far more space than we have at
+command, and we must confine ourselves to its salient features. It began
+at midnight of the 21st, at which hour, under a clear, star-lit sky, the
+streets were already thronged with people in patient waiting and the
+bells of all London in tumultuous peal announced the advent of the
+jubilee day, while from the vast throng ringing cheers and the singing
+of "God Save the Queen" hailed the happy occasion.
+
+When the new day dawned and the auspicious sunlight brightened the
+scene, the streets devoted to the procession, more than six miles in
+length, appeared one vast blaze of color and display of decorations, the
+jubilee colors, red, white and blue, being everywhere seen, while the
+medley of wreaths, festoons, banners, colored globes and balloons,
+pennons, shields, fir and laurel evergreens, and other emblems of
+festivity, were innumerable and bewildering in their variety.
+
+The march began at 9.45, and came as a welcome relief to the vast throng
+that for hours had been wearily waiting. Its first contingent was the
+colonial military procession, in which representatives of the whole
+world seemed present in distinctive attire. It was a moving picture of
+soldiers from every continent and many of the great isles of the sea,
+massed in a complex and extraordinary display.
+
+Chief in command, following a squadron of the Royal Horse Guards, rode
+Lord Roberts, the famed and popular general, who was hailed with an
+uproar of shouts of "Hurrah for Bobs!" Close behind him came a troop of
+the Canadian Hussars and the Northwest mounted police, escorting Sir
+Wilfred Laurier, the premier of Canada. Premier Reid, of New South
+Wales, followed, escorted by the New South Wales Lancers and the Mounted
+Rifles, with their gray sombreros and black cocks' plumes.
+
+In rapid succession, escorting the premiers of the several colonies,
+came other contingents of troops, each wearing some distinctive uniform,
+including those of Victoria, New Zealand, Queensland, Cape Colony, South
+Australia, Newfoundland, Tasmania, Natal and West Australia. Then came
+mounted troops from many other localities of the British empire,
+reaching from Hong Kong in the East to Jamaica in the West, and fairly
+girdling the globe in their wide variety.
+
+Among the oddities of this complex multitude we may name the Zaptiehs
+from Cyprus, wearing the Turkish fez and bonnet; the olive-faced Borneo
+Dyaks; the Chinese police from Hong Kong, with saucepan-like hats
+shading their yellow faces; the Royal Niger Hausses, with their shaved
+heads and shining black skins; and other picturesquely attired examples
+of the men of varied climes.
+
+Such was the colonial parade, a marvellous display from the "far-thrown"
+British realm. It was followed by the home military parade, which
+formed a carnival of gorgeous costume and color; scarlet and blue, gold,
+white and yellow; shining cuirasses and polished helmets, waving plumes
+and glittering tassels; splendid trappings for horses and more splendid
+ones for men; horse and foot and batteries of artillery; death-dealing
+weapons of every kind; all marching to the stirring music of richly
+accoutred bands and under treasured banners for which the men in the
+ranks were ready to die.
+
+Led by Captain Ames, the tallest man in the British army, followed by
+four of the tallest troopers of the Life Guards,--a regiment of very
+tall men--the soldierly procession, as it wound onward under the
+propitious sun, seemed like nothing so much as some bright stream of
+burnished gold flowing between dark banks of human beings.
+
+The colonial and military parade having passed, there followed that part
+of the display to which all this was preliminary, the royal procession,
+in which her Majesty the Queen was once more to show her venerable form
+to her assembled people. Preceding the gorgeous chariot of the queen,
+with its famous eight cream-colored Hanoverian horses, appeared its
+military escort, a glittering cavalcade of splendidly uniformed
+officers, its chief figures being Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-chief of
+the Army, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of
+Connaught, the Duke of Westminster, and the Lord Lieutenant of London.
+
+In the escort were also included foreign military and naval dignitaries,
+in alphabetical order, beginning with Austria and ending with the United
+States, the latter represented by General Nelson A. Miles, in full
+uniform and riding a splendid horse. The whole was bewildering in its
+variety. From Germany came a deputation of the First Prussian Dragoon
+Guards, splendid looking soldiers, sent as a special compliment from the
+Kaiser. But most brilliant of all was a group of officers of the
+Imperial Service Troops of India, in the most gorgeous of uniforms.
+Behind these came in two-horse landaus the special envoys from the
+various American and European nations.
+
+The escort of princes included the Marquis of Lorne, son-in-law of the
+queen, the Duke of York, the Duke of Fife, and among notable foreign
+princes, the Grand Duke Servius of Russia, the Crown Prince Dando of
+Montenegro, and Mohammed Ali Khan, brother of the Khedive of Egypt, who
+rode a pure white Arabian charger.
+
+The hour of eleven had passed when Queen Victoria descended the steps of
+the palace and entered the awaiting carriage, each of whose horses was
+led by a "walking man" in the royal livery and a huntsman's black-velvet
+cap, while the postilions were dressed in scarlet and gold coats, white
+trousers and riding boots, each livery having cost $600.
+
+Through miles of wildly enthusiastic people the carriage wound, the
+chief feature of its progress being the formal crossing of the boundary
+of ancient London at Temple Bar, where the old ceremony of the
+submission of the city to the sovereign was performed, the Lord Mayor
+presenting the hilt of the city sword--"Queen Elizabeth's pearl
+sword,"--presented by the queen to the corporation during a ceremony in
+1570. The touching of the hilt by the queen, in acceptance of
+submission, completed this ceremony, and the carriage rolled on to St.
+Paul's Cathedral, where a brief service was performed.
+
+The next stop was at the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor presented
+the Lord Mayoress and the attendant maids of honor handed the queen a
+beautiful silver basket filled with gorgeous orchids. The palace was
+finally reached at 1.45, when a gun in Hyde Park announced that the
+procession was over, and the great event had passed into history. An
+outburst of cheers followed this final salute and the vast throng,
+millions in number, broke and vanished, carrying to their homes vivid
+memories of the most brilliant affair the great metropolis of London had
+ever seen.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15), by Charles Morris
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORICAL TALES, VOL. 4 (OF 15) ***
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+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Historical Tales, Volume 4, by Charles Morris
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
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+
+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15), by Charles Morris
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15)
+       The Romance of Reality
+
+Author: Charles Morris
+
+Release Date: June 5, 2006 [EBook #18511]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORICAL TALES, VOL. 4 (OF 15) ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Dave Kline, Janet Blenkinship and The Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p><a name="frontis" id="frontis"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/frontis.jpg"
+             alt="WARWICK CASTLE." /><br />
+         <b>WARWICK CASTLE.</b>
+    </div>
+
+
+
+
+<h3>&Eacute;dition d'&Eacute;lite</h3>
+
+
+
+<h1>Historical Tales</h1>
+
+<h3>The Romance of Reality</h3>
+
+
+<h4>By</h4>
+
+<h2>CHARLES MORRIS</h2>
+
+<p class='center'><i>Author of "Half-Hours with the Best American Authors," "Tales from the
+Dramatists," etc.</i></p>
+
+
+<h4>IN FIFTEEN VOLUMES</h4>
+
+<h3>Volume IV</h3>
+
+
+
+<h3>English</h3>
+
+
+
+<p class='center'>J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY<br />
+PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON</p>
+
+<p class='center'>
+Copyright, 1893, by <span class="smcap">J. B. Lippincott Company</span>.<br />
+Copyright, 1904, by <span class="smcap">J. B. Lippincott Company</span>.<br />
+Copyright, 1908, by <span class="smcap">J. B. Lippincott Company</span>.
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" width="65%" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of Contents">
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">How England Became Christian</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_9'>9</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">King Alfred and the Danes</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_19'><b>19</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Wooing of Elfrida</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_35'><b>35</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The End of Saxon England</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_49'><b>49</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Hereward the Wake</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_62'><b>62</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Death of the Red King</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_77'><b>77</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">How the White Ship Sailed</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_86'><b>86</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">A Contest for a Crown</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_93'><b>93</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Captivity of Richard C&oelig;ur de Lion</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_107'><b>107</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Robin Hood and the Knight of the Rueful Countenance</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_121'><b>121</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Wallace, the Hero of Scotland</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_136'><b>136</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Bruce at Bannockburn</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_149'><b>149</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Siege of Calais</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_162'><b>162</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Black Prince at Poitiers</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_174'><b>174</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Wat Tyler and the Men of Kent</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_185'><b>185</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The White Rose of England</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_196'><b>196</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Field of the Cloth of Gold</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_213'><b>213</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Story of Arabella Stuart</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_228'><b>228</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Love's Knight-Errant</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_241'><b>241</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Taking of Pontefract Castle</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_262'><b>262</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Adventures of a Royal Fugitive</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_276'><b>276</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Cromwell and the Parliament</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_297'><b>297</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Relief of Londonderry</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_305'><b>305</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Hunting of Braemar</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_315'><b>315</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Flight of Prince Charles</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_324'><b>324</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Trafalgar and the Death of Nelson</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_339'><b>339</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Massacre of an Army</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_349'><b>349</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Jubilees of Queen Victoria</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_358'><b>358</b></a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2>
+
+<h3>ENGLISH.</h3>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" width="65%" cellspacing="0" summary="List of Illustrations">
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Warwick Castle</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#frontis'><b>Frontispiece.</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Canterbury Cathedral</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_12'><b>12</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">An Anglo-Saxon King</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_19'><b>19</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Ely Cathedral</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_66'><b>66</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Statue of Richard C&oelig;ur de Lion</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_116'><b>116</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Robin Hood's Woods</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_123'><b>123</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Wallace Monument, Stirling</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_141'><b>141</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Stirling Castle</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_153'><b>153</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Port of Calais</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_162'><b>162</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Church of Notre Dame, Poitiers</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_177'><b>177</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Wat Tyler's Cottage</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_188'><b>188</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Battle in the War of the Roses</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_196'><b>196</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Henry the Eighth</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_218'><b>218</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Rotten Row, London</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_235'><b>235</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Royal Palace, Madrid</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_251'><b>251</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Scene on the River Avon</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_286'><b>286</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Oliver Cromwell</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_298'><b>298</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Edinburgh Castle</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_319'><b>319</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Old Temeraire</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_340'><b>340</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">North Front of Windsor Castle</span></td><td align='right'><a href='#Page_362'><b>362</b></a></td></tr>
+</table>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>One day, in the far-off sixth century, a youthful deacon of the Roman
+Church walked into the slave-market of Rome, situated at one extremity
+of the ancient Forum. Gregory, his name; his origin from an ancient
+noble family, whose genealogy could be traced back to the days of the
+early C&aelig;sars. A youth was this of imperial powers of mind, one who, had
+he lived when Rome was mistress of the physical world, might have become
+emperor; but who, living when Rome had risen to lordship over the
+spiritual world, became pope,&mdash;the famous Gregory the Great.</p>
+
+<p>In the Forum the young deacon saw that which touched his sympathetic
+soul. Here cattle were being sold; there, men. His eyes were specially
+attracted by a group of youthful slaves, of aspect such as he had never
+seen before. They were bright of complexion, their hair long and golden,
+their expression of touching innocence. Their fair faces were strangely
+unlike the embrowned complexions to which he had been accustomed, and he
+stood looking at them in admiration, while the slave-dealers extolled
+their beauty of face and figure.</p>
+
+<p>"From what country do these young men come?" asked Gregory.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"They are English, Angles," answered the dealers.</p>
+
+<p>"Not Angles, but angels," said the deacon, with a feeling of poetic
+sentiment, "for they have angel-like faces. From what country come
+they?" he repeated.</p>
+
+<p>"They come from Deira," said the merchants.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>De ir&acirc;</i>" he rejoined, fervently; "ay, plucked from God's ire and
+called to Christ's mercy. And what is the name of their king?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ella," was the answer.</p>
+
+<p>"Alleluia shall be sung there!" cried the enthusiastic young monk, his
+imagination touched by the significance of these answers. He passed on,
+musing on the incident which had deeply stirred his sympathies, and
+considering how the light of Christianity could be shed upon the pagan
+lands whence these fair strangers came.</p>
+
+<p>It was a striking picture which surrounded that slave-market. From where
+the young deacon stood could be seen the capitol of ancient Rome and the
+grand proportions of its mighty Coliseum; not far away the temple of
+Jupiter Stator displayed its magnificent columns, and other stately
+edifices of the imperial city came within the circle of vision. Rome had
+ceased to be the mistress of the world, but it was not yet in ruins, and
+many of its noble edifices still stood almost in perfection. But
+paganism had vanished. The cross of Christ was the dominant symbol. The
+march of the warriors of the legions was replaced by long processions
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> cowled and solemn monks. The temporal imperialism of Rome had
+ceased, the spiritual had begun; instead of armies to bring the world
+under the dominion of the sword, that ancient city now sent out its
+legions of priests to bring it under the dominion of the cross.</p>
+
+<p>Gregory resolved to be one of the latter. A fair new field for
+missionary labor lay in that distant island, peopled by pagans whose
+aspect promised to make them noble subjects of Christ's kingdom upon
+earth. The enthusiastic youth left Rome to seek Saxon England, moved
+thereto not by desire of earthly glory, but of heavenly reward. But this
+was not to be. His friends deemed that he was going to death, and begged
+the pope to order his return. Gregory was brought back and England
+remained pagan.</p>
+
+<p>Years went by. The humble deacon rose to be bishop of Rome and head of
+the Christian world. Gregory the Great, men named him, though he styled
+himself "Servant of the servants of God," and lived in like humility and
+simplicity of style as when he was a poor monk.</p>
+
+<p>The time at length came to which Gregory had looked forward. Ethelbert,
+king of Kentish England, married Bertha, daughter of the French king
+Charibert, a fervent Christian woman. A few priests came with her to
+England, and the king gave them a ruined Christian edifice, the Church
+of St. Martin, outside the walls of Canterbury, for their worship. But
+it was overshadowed by a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> pagan temple, and the worship of Odin and Thor
+still dominated Saxon England.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img12.jpg"
+             alt="CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL." /><br />
+         <b>CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>Gregory took quick advantage of this opportunity. The fair faces of the
+English slaves still appealed to his pitying soul, and he now sent
+Augustine, prior of St. Andrew's at Rome, with a band of forty monks as
+missionaries to England. It was the year of our Lord 597. The
+missionaries landed at the very spot where Hengist the Saxon conqueror
+had landed more than a century before. The one had brought the sword to
+England, the others brought the cross. King Ethelbert knew of their
+coming and had agreed to receive them; but, by the advice of his
+priests, who feared conjuration and spells of magic, he gave them
+audience in the open air, where such spells have less power. The place
+was on the chalk-down above Minster, whence, miles away across the
+intervening marshes, one may to-day behold the distant tower of
+Canterbury cathedral.</p>
+
+<p>The scene, as pictured to us in the chronicles of the monks, was a
+picturesque and inspiring one. The hill selected for the meeting
+overlooked the ocean. King Ethelbert, with Queen Bertha by his side,
+awaited in state his visitors. Around were grouped the warriors of Kent
+and the priests of Odin. Silence reigned, and in the distance the monks
+could be seen advancing in solemn procession, singing as they came. He
+who came first bore a large silver crucifix. Another carried a banner
+with the painted image of Christ. The deep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> and solemn music, the
+venerable and peaceful aspect of the strangers, the solemnity of the
+occasion, touched the heart of Ethelbert, already favorably inclined, as
+we may believe, to the faith of his loved wife.</p>
+
+<p>Augustine had brought interpreters from Gaul. By their aid he conveyed
+to the king the message he had been sent to bring. Ethelbert listened in
+silence, the queen in rapt attention, the warriors and priests doubtless
+with varied sentiments. The appeal of Augustine at an end, Ethelbert
+spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Your words are fair," he said, "but they are new, and of doubtful
+meaning. For myself, I propose to worship still the gods of my fathers.
+But you bring peace and good words; you are welcome to my kingdom; while
+you stay here you shall have shelter and protection."</p>
+
+<p>His land was a land of plenty, he told them; food, drink, and lodging
+should be theirs, and none should do them wrong; England should be their
+home while they chose to stay.</p>
+
+<p>With these words the audience ended. Augustine and his monks fell again
+into procession, and, with singing of psalms and display of holy
+emblems, moved solemnly towards the city of Canterbury, where Bertha's
+church awaited them. As they entered the city they sang:</p>
+
+<p>"Turn from this city, O Lord, thine anger and wrath, and turn it from
+Thy holy house, for we have sinned." Then Gregory's joyful cry of
+"Alleluia!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> Alleluia!" burst from their devout lips, as they moved into
+the first English church.</p>
+
+<p>The work of the "strangers from Rome" proceeded but slowly. Some
+converts were made, but Ethelbert held aloof. Fortunately for Augustine,
+he had an advocate in the palace, one with near and dear speech in the
+king's ear. We cannot doubt that the gentle influence of Queen Bertha
+was a leading power in Ethelbert's conversion. A year passed. At its end
+the king gave way. On the day of Pentecost he was baptized. Christ had
+succeeded Odin and Thor on the throne of the English heart, for the
+story of the king's conversion carried his kingdom with it. The men of
+Kent, hearing that their king had adopted the new faith, crowded the
+banks of the Swale, eager for baptism. The under-kings of Essex and
+East-Anglia became Christians. On the succeeding Christmas-day ten
+thousand of the people followed the example of their king. The new faith
+spread with wonderful rapidity throughout the kingdom of Kent.</p>
+
+<p>When word of this great event reached Pope Gregory at Rome his heart was
+filled with joy. He exultingly wrote to a friend that his missionaries
+had spread the religion of Christ "in the most remote parts of the
+world," and at once appointed Augustine archbishop of Canterbury and
+primate of all England, that he might complete the work he had so
+promisingly begun. Such is the story of the Christianizing of England as
+told in the ancient chronicle of the venerable Bede, the earliest of
+English writers.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As yet only Kent had been converted. North of it lay the kingdom of
+Northumbria, still a pagan realm. The story of its conversion, as told
+by Bede, is of no less interest than that just related. Edwin was its
+king, a man of great ability for that early day. His prowess is shown in
+a proverb: "A woman with her babe might walk scathless from sea to sea
+in Edwin's day." The highways, long made dangerous by outlaw and
+ruthless warrior, were now safe avenues of travel; the springs by the
+road-side were marked by stakes, while brass cups beside them awaited
+the traveller's hand. Edwin ruled over all northern England, as
+Ethelbert did over the south. Edinburgh was within his dominions, and
+from him it had its name,&mdash;Edwin's burgh, the city of Edwin.</p>
+
+<p>Christianity came to this monarch's heart in some such manner as it had
+reached that of Ethelbert, through the appealing influence of his wife.
+A daughter of King Ethelbert had come to share his throne. She, like
+Bertha her mother, was a Christian. With her came the monk Paulinus,
+from the church at Canterbury. He was a man of striking aspect,&mdash;of tall
+and stooping form, slender, aquiline nose, and thin, worn face, round
+which fell long black hair. The ardent missionary, aided doubtless by
+the secret appeals of the queen, soon produced an influence upon the
+intelligent mind of Edwin. The monarch called a council of his wise men,
+to talk with them about the new doctrine which had been taught in his
+realm. Of what<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> passed at that council we have but one short speech, but
+it is one that illuminates it as no other words could have done, a
+lesson in prose which is full of the finest spirit of poetry, perhaps
+the most picturesque image of human life that has ever been put into
+words.</p>
+
+<p>"So seems to me the life of man, O king," said an aged noble, "as a
+sparrow's flight through the hall when you are sitting at meat in
+winter-tide, with the warm fire lighted on the hearth, while outside all
+is storm of rain and snow. The sparrow flies in at one door, and tarries
+for a moment in the light and heat of the fire within, and then, flying
+forth from the other, vanishes into the wintry darkness whence it came.
+So the life of man tarries for a moment in our sight; but of what went
+before it, or what is to follow it, we know nothing. If this new
+teaching tells us something more certain of these things, let us follow
+it."</p>
+
+<p>Such an appeal could not but have a powerful effect upon his hearers.
+Those were days when men were more easily moved by sentiment than by
+argument. Edwin and his councillors heard with favoring ears. Not last
+among them was Coifi, chief priest of the idol-worship, whose ardent
+soul was stirred by the words of the old thane.</p>
+
+<p>"None of your people, King Edwin, have worshipped the gods more busily
+than I," he said, "yet there are many who have been more favored and are
+more fortunate. Were these gods good for anything they would help their
+worshippers."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Grasping his spear, the irate priest leaped on his horse, and riding at
+full speed towards the temple sacred to the heathen gods, he hurled the
+warlike weapon furiously into its precincts.</p>
+
+<p>The lookers-on, nobles and commons alike, beheld his act with awe, in
+doubt if the deities of their old worship would not avenge with death
+this insult to their fane. Yet all remained silent; no thunders rent the
+skies; the desecrating priest sat his horse unharmed. When, then, he
+bade them follow him to the neighboring stream, to be baptized in its
+waters into the new faith, an eager multitude crowded upon his steps.</p>
+
+<p>The spot where Edwin and his followers were baptized is thus described
+by Camden, in his "Description of Great Britain," etc.: "In the Roman
+times, not far from its bank upon the little river Foulness (where
+Wighton, a small town, but well-stocked with husbandmen, now stands),
+there seems to have formerly stood Delgovitia; as it is probable both
+from the likeness and the signification of the name. For the British
+word <i>Delgwe</i> (or rather <i>Ddelw</i>) signifies the statues or images of the
+heathen gods; and in a little village not far off there stood an
+idol-temple, which was in very great honor in the Saxon times, and, from
+the heathen gods in it, was then called Godmundingham, and now, in the
+same sense, Godmanham." It was into this temple that Coifi flung his
+desecrating spear, and in this stream that Edwin the king received
+Christian baptism.</p>
+
+<p>But Christianity did not win England without a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> struggle. After the
+death of Ethelbert and Edwin, paganism revived and fought hard for the
+mastery. The Roman monks lost their energy, and were confined to the
+vicinity of Canterbury. Conversion came again, but from the west instead
+of the east, from Ireland instead of Rome.</p>
+
+<p>Christianity had been received with enthusiasm in Erin's isle. Less than
+half a century after the death of St. Patrick, the first missionary,
+flourishing Christian schools existed at Darrow and Armagh, letters and
+the arts were cultivated, and missionaries were leaving the shores of
+Ireland to carry the faith elsewhere. From the famous monastery which
+they founded at Iona, on the west coast of Scotland, came the new
+impulse which gave Christianity its fixed footing in England, and
+finally drove paganism from Britain's shores. Oswald, of Northumbria,
+became the bulwark of the new faith; Penda, of Mercia, the sword of
+heathendom; and a long struggle for religion and dominion ensued between
+these warlike chiefs. Oswald was slain in battle; Penda led his
+conquering host far into the Christian realm; but a new king, Oswi by
+name, overthrew Penda and his army in a great defeat, and the worship of
+the older gods in England was at an end. But a half-century of struggle
+and bloodshed passed before the victory of Christ over Odin was fully
+won.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img19.jpg"
+             alt="AN ANGLO-SAXON KING." /><br />
+         <b>AN ANGLO-SAXON KING.</b>
+    </div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>KING ALFRED AND THE DANES.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In his royal villa at Chippenham, on the left bank of the gently-flowing
+Avon, sat King Alfred, buried in his books. It was the evening of the
+6th of January, in the year 878, a thousand years and more backward in
+time. The first of English kings to whom a book had a meaning,&mdash;and the
+last for centuries afterwards,&mdash;Alfred, the young monarch, had an
+insatiable thirst for knowledge, a thirst then difficult to quell, for
+books were almost as rare as gold-mines in that day. When a mere child,
+his mother had brought to him and his brothers a handsomely illuminated
+book, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I will give this to that one of you four princes who first learns to
+read."</p>
+
+<p>Alfred won the book; so far as we know, he alone sought to win it, for
+the art of reading in those early times was confined to monks, and
+disdained by princes. Ignorance lay like a dismal cloud over England,
+ignorance as dense as the heart of the Dark Ages knew. In the whole land
+the young prince was almost alone in his thirst for knowledge; and when
+he made an effort to study Latin, in which language all worthy
+literature was then written, we are told that there could not be found
+throughout the length and breadth of the land a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> man competent to teach
+him that sealed tongue. This, however, loses probability in view of the
+fact that the monks were familiar with Latin and that Alfred succeeded
+in acquiring a knowledge of that language.</p>
+
+<p>When little more than a boy Alfred became king. There was left him then
+little time for study, for the Danes, whose ships had long been
+descending in annual raids on England's shores, gave the youthful
+monarch an abundance of more active service. For years he fought them,
+yet in his despite Guthrum, one of their ablest chiefs, sailed up the
+Severn, seized upon a wide region of the realm of Wessex, made
+Gloucester his capital, and defied the feebly-supported English king.</p>
+
+<p>It was midwinter now, a season which the Danes usually spent in rest and
+revelry, and in which England gained some relief from their devastating
+raids. Alfred, dreaming of aught but war, was at home with his slender
+store of much-beloved books in his villa at Chippenham. With him were a
+few of his thanes and a small body of armed attendants, their enjoyment
+the pleasures of the chase and the rude sports of that early period.
+Doubtless, what they deemed the womanish or monkish tastes of their
+young monarch were objects of scorn and ridicule to those hardy thanes,
+upon whom ignorance lay like a thick garment. Yet Alfred could fight as
+well as read. They might disdain his pursuits; they must respect his
+prowess.</p>
+
+<p>While the king lay thus in ease at Chippenham,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> his enemies at
+Gloucester seemed lost in enjoyment of their spoils. Guthrum had divided
+the surrounding lands among his victorious followers, the Saxons had
+been driven out, slain, or enslaved, and the brutal and barbarous
+victors dwelt in peace and revelry on their new lands, spending the
+winter in riot and wassail, and waiting for the spring-time budding of
+the trees to renew the war with their Saxon foes.</p>
+
+<p>Not so with Guthrum. He had sworn revenge on the Saxons. Years before,
+his father, a mighty chieftain, Ragnar by name, had fallen in a raid on
+England. His sons had vowed to Odin to wash out the memory of his death
+in English blood, and Guthrum now determined to take advantage of the
+midwinter season for a sudden and victorious march upon his unsuspecting
+enemy. If he could seize Alfred in his palace, the war might be brought
+to an end, and England won, at a single blow.</p>
+
+<p>If we can take ourselves back in fancy to New-Year's day of 878, and to
+an open plain in the vicinity of Gloucester, we shall see there the
+planted standard of Guthrum floating in the wind, while from every side
+armed horsemen are riding into the surrounding space. They know not why
+they come. A hasty summons has been sent them to meet their chieftain
+here on this day, armed and mounted, and, loyal to their leader, and
+ever ready for war, they ride hastily in, until the Danish champion
+finds himself surrounded by a strong force of hardy warriors, eager to
+learn the cause of this midwinter summons.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is war," said Guthrum to his chiefs. "I have sworn to have England,
+and England shall be mine. The Saxons are scattered and at rest, not
+dreaming of battle and blood. Now is our time. A hard and sudden blow
+will end the war, and the fair isle of England will be the Raven's
+spoil."</p>
+
+<p>We may still hear in fancy the wild shouts of approval with which this
+stirring declaration was heard. Visions of slaughter, plunder, and rich
+domains filled the souls of chiefs and men alike, and their eagerness to
+take to the field was such that they could barely wait to hear their
+leader's plans.</p>
+
+<p>"Alfred, the Saxon king, must be ours," said Guthrum. "He is the one man
+I dread in all the Saxon hosts. They have many hands, but only one head.
+Let us seize the head, and the hands are useless. Alfred is at
+Chippenham. Thither let us ride at speed."</p>
+
+<p>Their bands were mustered, their arms examined, and food for the
+expedition prepared, and then to horse and away! Headlong over the
+narrow and forest-bordered roads of that day rode the host of Danes, in
+triumphant expectation of victory and spoil.</p>
+
+<p>In his study sat Alfred, on the night of January 6, poring over an
+illuminated page; or mayhap he was deep in learned consultation with
+some monkish scholar, mayhap presiding at a feast of his thanes: we may
+fancy what we will, for history or legend fails to tell us how he was
+engaged on that critical evening of his life.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But we may imagine a wide-eyed Saxon sentinel, seared and hasty,
+breaking upon the monarch's leisure with the wild alarm-cry,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Up and away, my king! The Danes are coming! hosts of them, armed and
+horsed! Up and away!"</p>
+
+<p>Hardly had he spoken before the hoof-beats of the advancing foe were
+heard. On they came, extending their lines as they rode at headlong
+speed, hoping to surround the villa and seize the king before the alarm
+could be given.</p>
+
+<p>They were too late. Alfred was quick to hear, to heed, and to act.
+Forest bordered the villa; into the forest he dashed, his followers
+following in tumultuous haste. The Danes made what haste the
+obstructions in their way permitted. In a few minutes they had swept
+round the villa, with ringing shouts of triumph. In a few minutes more
+they were treading its deserted halls, Guthrum at their head, furious to
+find that his hoped-for prey had vanished and left him but the empty
+shell of his late home.</p>
+
+<p>"After him!" cried the furious Dane. "He cannot be far. This place is
+full of signs of life. He has fled into the forest. After him! A king's
+prize for the man who seizes him."</p>
+
+<p>In vain their search, the flying king knew his own woods too well to be
+overtaken by the Danes. Yet their far cries filled his ears, and roused
+him to thoughts of desperate resistance. He looked around on his handful
+of valiant followers.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Let us face them!" he cried, in hot anger. "We are few, but we fight
+for our homes. Let us meet these baying hounds!"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no," answered the wisest of his thanes. "It would be worse than
+rash, it would be madness. They are twenty&mdash;a hundred, mayhap&mdash;to our
+one. Let us fly now, that we may fight hereafter. All is not lost while
+our king is free, and we to aid him."</p>
+
+<p>Alfred was quick to see the wisdom of this advice. He must bide his
+time. To strike now might be to lose all. To wait might be to gain all.
+He turned with a meaning look to his faithful thanes.</p>
+
+<p>"In sooth, you speak well," he said. "The wisdom of the fox is now
+better than the courage of the lion. We must part here. The land for the
+time is the Danes'. We cannot hinder them. They will search homestead
+and woodland for me. Before a fortnight's end they will have swarmed
+over all Wessex, and Guthrum will be lord of the land. I admire that
+man; he is more than a barbarian, he knows the art of war. He shall
+learn yet that Alfred is his match. We must part."</p>
+
+<p>"Part?" said the thanes, looking at him in doubt. "Wherefore?"</p>
+
+<p>"I must seek safety alone and in disguise. There are not enough of you
+to help me; there are enough to betray me to suspicion. Go your ways,
+good friends. Save yourselves. We will meet again before many weeks to
+strike a blow for our country. But the time is not yet."</p>
+
+<p>History speaks not from the depths of that wood<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>land whither Alfred had
+fled with his thanes. We cannot say if just these words were spoken, but
+such was the purport of their discourse. They separated, the thanes and
+their followers to seek their homes; Alfred, disguised as a peasant, to
+thread field and forest on foot towards a place of retreat which he had
+fixed upon in his mind. Not even to the faithfulest of his thanes did he
+tell the secret of his abode. For the present it must be known to none
+but himself.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the cavalry of Guthrum were raiding the country far and wide.
+Alfred had escaped, but England lay helpless in their grasp. News
+travelled slowly in those days. Everywhere the Saxons first learned of
+the war by hearing the battle-cry of the Danes. The land was overrun.
+England seemed lost. Its only hope of safety lay in a man who would not
+acknowledge defeat, a monarch who could bide his time.</p>
+
+<p>The lonely journey of the king led him to the centre of Somersetshire.
+Here, at the confluence of the Tone and the Parret, was a small island,
+afterwards known as Ethelingay, or Prince's Island. Around it spread a
+wide morass, little likely to be crossed by his pursuers. Here, still
+disguised, the fugitive king sought a refuge from his foes.</p>
+
+<p>For several months Alfred remained in this retreat, his place of refuge
+during part of the time being in the hut of a swineherd; and thereupon
+hangs a tale. Whether or not the worthy herdsman knew his king,
+certainly the weighty secret was not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> known to his wife. One day, while
+Alfred sat by the fire, his hands busy with his bow and arrows, his head
+mayhap busy with plans against the Danes, the good woman of the house
+was engaged in baking cakes on the hearth.</p>
+
+<p>Having to leave the hut for a few minutes, she turned to her guest, and
+curtly bade him watch the cakes, to see that they did not get overdone.</p>
+
+<p>"Trust me for that," he said.</p>
+
+<p>She left the room. The cakes smoked on the hearth, yet he saw them not.
+The goodwife returned in a brief space, to find her guest buried in a
+deep study, and her cakes burned to a cinder.</p>
+
+<p>"What!" she cried, with an outburst of termagant spleen, "I warrant you
+will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by, you idle dog! and yet you
+cannot watch them burning under your very eyes."</p>
+
+<p>What the king said in reply the tradition which has preserved this
+pleasant tale fails to relate. Doubtless it needed some of the
+swineherd's eloquence to induce his irate wife to bake a fresh supply
+for their careless guest.</p>
+
+<p>It had been Guthrum's main purpose, as we may be assured, in his rapid
+ride to Chippenham, to seize the king. In this he had failed; but the
+remainder of his project went successfully forward. Through Dorset,
+Berkshire, Wilts, and Hampshire rode his men, forcing the people
+everywhere to submit. The country was thinly settled, none knew the fate
+of the king, resistance would have been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> destruction, they bent before
+the storm, hoping by yielding to save their lives and some portion of
+their property from the barbarian foe. Those near the coast crossed with
+their families and movable effects to Gaul. Elsewhere submission was
+general, except in Somersetshire, where alone a body of faithful
+warriors, lurking in the woods, kept in arms against the invaders.</p>
+
+<p>Alfred's secret could not yet be safely revealed. Guthrum had not given
+over his search for him. Yet some of the more trusty of his subjects
+were told where he might be found, and a small band joined him in his
+morass-guarded isle. Gradually the news spread, and others sought the
+isle of Ethelingay, until a well-armed and sturdy band of followers
+surrounded the royal fugitive. This party must be fed. The island
+yielded little subsistence. The king was obliged to make foraging raids
+from his hiding-place. Now and then he met and defeated straggling
+parties of Danes, taking from them their spoils. At other times, when
+hard need pressed, he was forced to forage on his own subjects.</p>
+
+<p>Day by day the news went wider through Saxon homes, and more warriors
+sought their king. As the strength of his band increased, Alfred made
+more frequent and successful forays. The Danes began to find that
+resistance was not at an end. By Easter the king felt strong enough to
+take a more decided action. He had a wooden bridge thrown from the
+island to the shore, to facilitate the movements of his followers, while
+at its entrance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> was built a fort, to protect the island party against a
+Danish incursion.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the state of Alfred's fortunes and of England's hopes in the
+spring of 878. Three months before, all southern England, with the
+exception of Gloucester and its surrounding lands, had been his. Now his
+kingdom was a small island in the heart of a morass, his subjects a
+lurking band of faithful warriors, his subsistence what could be wrested
+from the strong hands of the foe.</p>
+
+<p>While matters went thus in Somerset, a storm of war gathered in Wales.
+Another of Ragnar's sons, Ubbo by name, had landed on the Welsh coast,
+and, carrying everything before him, was marching inland to join his
+victorious brother.</p>
+
+<p>He was too strong for the Saxons of that quarter to make head against
+him in the open field. Odun, the valiant ealderman who led them, fled,
+with his thanes and their followers, to the castle of Kwineth, a
+stronghold defended only by a loose wall of stones, in the Saxon
+fashion. But the fortress occupied the summit of a lofty rock, and bade
+defiance to assault. Ubbo saw this. He saw, also, that water must be
+wanting on that steep rock. He pitched his tents at its foot, and waited
+till thirst should compel a surrender of the garrison.</p>
+
+<p>He was to find that it is not always wise to cut off the supplies of a
+beleaguered foe. Despair aids courage. A day came in the siege in which
+Odun, grown desperate, left his defences before dawn, glided silently
+down the hill with his men, and fell<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> so impetuously upon the Danish
+host that the chief and twelve hundred of his followers were slain, and
+the rest driven in panic to their ships. The camp, rich with the spoil
+of Wales, fell into the victors' hands, while their trophies included
+the great Raven standard of the Danes, said to have been woven in one
+noontide by Ragnar's three daughters. This was a loss that presaged
+defeat to the Danes, for they were superstitious concerning this
+standard. If the raven appeared to flap its wings when going into
+battle, victory seemed to them assured. If it hung motionless, defeat
+was feared. Its loss must have been deemed fatal.</p>
+
+<p>Tidings of this Saxon victory flew as if upon wings throughout England,
+and everywhere infused new spirit into the hearts of the people, new
+hope of recovering their country from the invading foe. To Alfred the
+news brought a heart-tide of joy. The time for action was at hand.
+Recruits came to him daily; fresh life was in his people; trusty
+messengers from Ethelingay sought the thanes throughout the land, and
+bade them, with their followers, to join the king at Egbert, on the
+eastern border of Selwood forest, in the seventh week after Easter.</p>
+
+<p>Guthrum, meanwhile, was not idle. The frequent raids in
+mid-Somersetshire had taught him where his royal enemy might be found.
+Action, immediate and decisive, was necessary, or Alfred would be again
+in the field with a Saxon army, and the fruits of the successful
+midwinter raid be lost. Messengers were sent in haste to call in the
+scattered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> Danish bands, and a fortified camp was formed in a strong
+place in the vicinity of Ethelingay, whence a concerted movement might
+be made upon the lurking foe.</p>
+
+<p>The time fixed for the gathering of the Saxon host was at hand. It was
+of high importance that the numbers and disposition of the Danes should
+be learned. The king, if we may trust tradition, now undertook an
+adventure that has ever since been classed among the choicest treasures
+of romance. The duty demanded was too important to trust to any doubtful
+hands. Alfred determined himself to venture within the camp of the
+Danes, observe how they were fortified and how arranged, and use this
+vital information when the time for battle came.</p>
+
+<p>The enterprise was less desperate than might seem. Alfred's form and
+face were little known to his enemies. He was a skilful harper. The
+glee-man in those days was a privileged person, allied to no party, free
+to wander where he would, and to twang his harp-strings in any camp. He
+might look for welcome from friend and foe.</p>
+
+<p>Dressed in Danish garb, and bearing the minstrel's harp, the daring king
+boldly sought and entered the camp of the invaders, his coming greeted
+with joy by the Danish warriors, who loved martial music as they loved
+war.</p>
+
+<p>Songs of Danish prowess fell from the disguised minstrel's lips, to the
+delight of his audience. In the end Guthrum and his chiefs heard report
+of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> coming of this skilled glee-man, and ordered that he should be
+brought to the great tent, where they sat carousing, in hopeful
+anticipation of coming victory.</p>
+
+<p>Alfred, nothing loath, sought Guthrum's tent, where, with stirring songs
+of the old heroes of their land, he flattered the ears of the chiefs,
+who applauded him to the echo, and at times broke into wild refrains to
+his warlike odes. All that passed we cannot say. The story is told by
+tradition only, and tradition is not to be trusted for details.
+Doubtless, when the royal spy slipped from the camp of his foes he bore
+with him an accurate mind-picture of the numbers, the discipline, and
+the arrangement of the Danish force, which would be of the highest value
+in the coming fray.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the Saxon hosts were gathering. When the day fixed by the
+king arrived they were there: men from Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devonshire,
+and Somerset; men in smaller numbers from other counties; all glad to
+learn that England was on its feet again, all filled with joy to see
+their king in the field. Their shouts filled the leafy alleys of the
+forest, they hailed the king as the land's avenger, every heart beat
+high with assurance of victory. Before night of the day of meeting the
+woodland camp was overcrowded with armed men, and at dawn of the next
+day Alfred led them to a place named Icglea, where, on the forest's
+edge, a broad plain spread with a morass on its front. All day long
+volunteers came to the camp; by night Alfred had an army in open field,
+in place of the guerilla<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> band with which, two days before, he had
+lurked in the green aisles of Selwood forest, like a Robin Hood of an
+earlier day, making the verdant depths of the greenwood dales his home.</p>
+
+<p>At dawn of the next day the king marshalled his men in battle array, and
+occupied the summit of Ethandune, a lofty eminence in the vicinity of
+his camp. The Danes, fiery with barbaric valor, boldly advanced, and the
+two armies met in fierce affray, shouting their war-cries, discharging
+arrows and hurling javelins, and rushing like wolves of war to the
+closer and more deadly hand-to-hand combat of sword and axe, of the
+shock of the contending forces, the hopes and fears of victory and
+defeat, the deeds of desperate valor, the mighty achievements of noted
+chiefs, on that hard-fought field no Homer has sung, and they must
+remain untold. All we know is that the Danes fought with desperate
+valor, the English with a courage inspired by revenge, fear of slavery,
+thirst for liberty, and the undaunted resolution of men whose every blow
+was struck for home and fireside.</p>
+
+<p>In the end patriotism prevailed over the baser instinct of piracy; the
+Danes were defeated, and driven in tumultuous hosts to their intrenched
+camp, falling in multitudes as they fled, for the incensed English laid
+aside all thought of mercy in the hot fury of pursuit.</p>
+
+<p>Only when within the shelter of his works was Guthrum able to make head
+against his victorious foe. The camp seemed too strong to be taken by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>
+assault, nor did Alfred care to immolate his men while a safer and surer
+expedient remained. He had made himself fully familiar with its
+formation, knew well its weak and strong points and its sparseness of
+supplies, and without loss of time spread his forces round it, besieging
+it so closely that not a Dane could escape. For fourteen days the siege
+went on, Alfred's army, no doubt, daily increasing, that of his foe
+wasting away before the ceaseless flight of arrows and javelins.</p>
+
+<p>Guthrum was in despair. Famine threatened him. Escape was impossible.
+Hardly a bird could have fled unseen through the English lines. At the
+end of the fortnight he yielded, and asked for terms of surrender. The
+war was at an end. England was saved.</p>
+
+<p>In his moment of victory Alfred proved generous. He gave the Danes an
+abiding-place upon English soil, on condition that they should dwell
+there as his vassals. To this they were to bind themselves by oath and
+the giving of hostages. Another condition was that Guthrum and his
+leading chiefs should give up their pagan faith and embrace
+Christianity.</p>
+
+<p>To these terms the Danish leader acceded. A few weeks after the fight
+Aubre, near Athelney, was the scene of the baptizing of Guthrum and
+thirty of his chiefs. To his heathen title was added the Saxon name of
+Athelstan, Alfred standing sponsor to the new convert to the Christian
+faith. Eight days afterwards Guthrum laid off the white robe and
+chrysmal fillet of his new faith, and in twelve days bade<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> adieu to his
+victorious foe, now, to all seeming, his dearest friend. What sum of
+Christian faith the baptized heathen took with him to the new lands
+assigned him it would be rash to say, but at all events he was removed
+from the circle of England's foes.</p>
+
+<p>The treaty of Wedmore freed southern England from the Danes. The shores
+of Wessex were teased now and then by after-descents, but these
+incursions were swept away like those of stinging hornets. In 894 a
+fleet of three hundred ships invaded the realm, but they met a crushing
+defeat. The king was given some leisure to pursue those studies to which
+his mind so strongly inclined, and to carry forward measures for the
+education of his people by the establishment of schools which, like
+those of Charlemagne in France, vanished before he was fairly in the
+grave. This noble knight died in 901, nearly a thousand years ago, after
+having proved himself one of the ablest warriors and most advanced minds
+that ever occupied the English throne.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE WOOING OF ELFRIDA.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Of all the many fair maidens of the Saxon realm none bore such fame for
+beauty as the charming Elfrida, daughter of the earl of Devonshire, and
+the rose of southern England. She had been educated in the country and
+had never been seen in London, but the report of her charms of face and
+person spread so widely that all the land became filled with the tale.</p>
+
+<p>It soon reached the court and came to the ears of Edgar, the king, a
+youthful monarch who had an open ear for all tales of maidenly beauty.
+He was yet but little more than a boy, was unmarried, and a born lover.
+The praises of this country charmer, therefore, stirred his susceptible
+heart. She was nobly born, the heiress to an earldom, the very rose of
+English maidens,&mdash;what better consort for the throne could be found? If
+report spoke true, this was the maiden he should choose for wife, this
+fairest flower of the Saxon realm. But rumor grows apace, and common
+report is not to be trusted. Edgar thought it the part of discretion to
+make sure of the beauty of the much-lauded Elfrida before making a
+formal demand for her hand in marriage.</p>
+
+<p>Devonshire was far away, roads few and poor in Saxon England, travel
+slow and wearisome, and the king had no taste for the journey to the
+castle of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> Olgar of Devon. Nor did he deem it wise to declare his
+intention till he made sure that the maiden was to his liking. He,
+therefore, spoke of his purpose to Earl Athelwold, his favorite, whom he
+bade to pay a visit, on some pretence, to Earl Olgar of Devonshire, to
+see his renowned daughter, and to bring to the court a certain account
+concerning her beauty.</p>
+
+<p>Athelwold went to Devonshire, saw the lady, and proved faithless to his
+trust. Love made him a traitor, as it has made many before and since his
+day. So marvellously beautiful he found Elfrida that his heart fell
+prisoner to the most vehement love, a passion so ardent that it drove
+all thoughts of honor and fidelity from his soul, and he determined to
+have this charming lass of Devonshire for his own, despite king or
+commons.</p>
+
+<p>Athelwold's high station had secured him a warm welcome from his brother
+earl. He acquitted himself of his pretended mission to Olgar, basked as
+long as prudence permitted in the sunlight of his lady's eyes, and,
+almost despite himself, made manifest to Elfrida the sudden passion that
+had filled his soul. The maiden took it not amiss. Athelwold was young,
+handsome, rich, and high in station, Elfrida susceptible and ambitious,
+and he returned to London not without hope that he had favorably
+impressed the lady's heart, and filled with the faithless purpose of
+deceiving the king.</p>
+
+<p>"You have seen and noted her, Athelwold," said Edgar, on giving him
+audience; "what have you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> to say? Has report spoken truly? Is she indeed
+the marvellous beauty that rumor tells, or has fame, the liar, played us
+one of his old tricks?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not altogether; the woman is not bad-looking," said Athelwold, with
+studied lack of enthusiasm; "but I fear that high station and a pretty
+face have combined to bewitch the people. Certainly, if she had been of
+low birth, her charms would never have been heard of outside her native
+village."</p>
+
+<p>"I' faith, Athelwold, you are not warm in your praise of this queen of
+beauty," said Edgar, with some disappointment. "Rumor, then, has lied,
+and she is but an every-day woman, after all?"</p>
+
+<p>"Beauty has a double origin," answered Athelwold; "it lies partly in the
+face seen, partly in the eyes seeing. Some might go mad over this
+Elfrida, but to my taste London affords fairer faces. I speak but for
+myself. Should you see her you might think differently."</p>
+
+<p>Athelwold had managed his story shrewdly; the king's ardor grew cold.</p>
+
+<p>"If the matter stands thus, he that wants her may have her," said Edgar.
+"The diamond that fails to show its lustre in all candles is not the gem
+for my wearing. Confess, Athelwold, you are trying to overpaint this
+woman; you found only an ordinary face."</p>
+
+<p>"I saw nothing in it extraordinary," answered the faithless envoy. "Some
+might, perhaps. I can only speak for myself. As I take it, Elfrida's
+noble birth and her father's wealth, which will come to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> her as sole
+heiress, have had their share in painting this rose. The woman may have
+beauty enough for a countess; hardly enough for a queen."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you should have wooed and won her yourself," said Edgar, laughing.
+"Such a faintly-praised charmer is not for me. I leave her for a
+lower-born lover."</p>
+
+<p>Several days passed. Athelwold had succeeded in his purpose; the king
+had evidently been cured of his fancy for Elfrida. The way was open for
+the next step in his deftly-laid scheme. He took it by turning the
+conversation, in a later interview, upon the Devon maiden.</p>
+
+<p>"I have been thinking over your remark, that I should woo and win
+Elfrida myself," he said. "It seems to me not a bad idea. I must confess
+that the birth and fortune of the lady added no beauty to her in my
+eyes, as it seems to have done in those of others; yet I cannot but
+think that the woman would make a suitable match for me. She is an
+earl's daughter, and she will inherit great wealth; these are advantages
+which fairly compensate some lack of beauty. I have decided, therefore,
+sire, if I can gain your approbation, to ask Olgar for his daughter's
+hand. I fancy I can gain her consent if I have his."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall certainly not stand in your way," said the king, pleased with
+the opportunity to advance his favorite's fortunes. "By all means do as
+you propose. I will give you letters to the earl and his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> lady,
+recommending the match. You must trust to yourself to make your way with
+the maiden."</p>
+
+<p>"I think she is not quite displeased with me," answered Athelwold.</p>
+
+<p>What followed few words may tell. The passion of love in Athelwold's
+heart had driven out all considerations of honor and duty, of the good
+faith he owed the king, and of the danger of his false and treacherous
+course. Warm with hope, he returned with a lover's haste to Devonshire,
+where he gained the approval of the earl and countess, won the hand and
+seemingly the heart of their beautiful daughter, and was speedily united
+to the lady of his love, and became for the time being the happiest man
+in England.</p>
+
+<p>But before the honey-moon was well over, the faithless friend and
+subject realized that he had a difficult and dangerous part to play. He
+did not dare let Edgar see his wife, for fear of the instant detection
+of his artifice, and he employed every pretence to keep her in the
+country. His duties at the court brought him frequently to London, but
+with the skill at excuses he had formerly shown he contrived to satisfy
+for the time the queries of the king and the importunities of his wife,
+who had a natural desire to visit the capital and to shine at the king's
+court.</p>
+
+<p>Athelwold was sailing between Scylla and Charybdis. He could scarcely
+escape being wrecked on the rocks of his own falsehood. The enemies who
+always surround a royal favorite were not long in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> surmising the truth,
+and lost no time in acquainting Edgar with their suspicions.
+Confirmation was not wanting. There were those in London who had seen
+Elfrida. The king's eyes were opened to the treacherous artifice of
+which he had been made the victim.</p>
+
+<p>Edgar was deeply incensed, but artfully concealed his anger. Reflection,
+too, told him that these men were Athelwold's enemies, and that the man
+he had loved and trusted ought not to be condemned on the insinuations
+of his foes. He would satisfy himself if his favorite had played the
+traitor, and if so would visit him with the punishment he deserved.</p>
+
+<p>"Athelwold," said Edgar, in easy tones, "I am surprised you do not bring
+your wife to court. Surely the woman, if she is true woman, must crave
+to come."</p>
+
+<p>"Not she," answered Athelwold. "She loves the country well and is a
+pattern of the rural virtues. The woman is homely and home-loving, and I
+should be sorry to put new ideas in her rustic pate. Moreover, I fear my
+little candle would shine too poorly among your courtly stars to offer
+her in contrast."</p>
+
+<p>"Fie on you, man! the wife of Athelwold cannot be quite a milkmaid. If
+you will not bring her here, then I must pay you a visit in your castle;
+I like you too well not to know and like your wife."</p>
+
+<p>This proposition of the king filled Athelwold with terror and dismay. He
+grew pale, and hesitatingly sought to dissuade Edgar from his project,
+but in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> vain. The king had made up his mind, and laughingly told him
+that he could not rest till he had seen the homely housewife whom
+Athelwold was afraid to trust in court.</p>
+
+<p>"I feel the honor you would do me," at length remarked the dismayed
+favorite. "I only ask, sire, that you let me go before you a few hours,
+that my castle may be properly prepared for a visit from my king."</p>
+
+<p>"As you will, gossip," laughed the king. "Away with you, then; I will
+soon follow."</p>
+
+<p>In all haste the traitor sought his castle, quaking with fear, and
+revolving in his mind schemes for avoiding the threatened disclosure. He
+could think of but one that promised success, and that depended on the
+love and compliance of Elfrida. He had deceived her. He must tell her
+the truth. With her aid his faithless action might still be concealed.</p>
+
+<p>Entering his castle, he sought Elfrida and revealed to her the whole
+measure of his deceit, how he had won her from the king, led by his
+overpowering love, how he had kept her from the king's eyes, and how
+Edgar now, filled, he feared, with suspicion, was on his way to the
+castle to see her for himself.</p>
+
+<p>In moving accents the wretched man appealed to her, if she had any
+regard for his honor and his life, to conceal from the king that fatal
+beauty which had lured him from his duty to his friend and monarch, and
+led him into endless falsehoods. He had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> but his love to offer as a
+warrant for his double faithlessness, and implored Elfrida, as she
+returned his affection, to lend her aid to his exculpation. If she loved
+him as she seemed, she would put on her homliest attire, employ the
+devices of the toilette to hide her fatal beauty, and assume an awkward
+and rustic tone and manner, that the king might be deceived.</p>
+
+<p>Elfrida heard him in silence, her face scarcely concealing the
+indignation which burned in her soul on learning the artifice by which
+she had been robbed of a crown. In the end, however, she seemed moved by
+his entreaties and softened by his love, and promised to comply with his
+wishes and do her utmost to conceal her charms.</p>
+
+<p>Gratified with this compliance, and full of hope that all would yet be
+safe, Athelwold completed his preparations for the reception of the
+king, and met him on his appearance with every show of honor and
+respect. Edgar seemed pleased by his reception, entered the castle, but
+was not long there before he asked to see its lady, saying merrily that
+she had been the loadstone that had drawn him thither, and that he was
+eager to behold her charming face.</p>
+
+<p>"I fear I have little of beauty and grace to show you," answered
+Athelwold; "but she is a good wife withal, and I love her for virtues
+which few would call courtly."</p>
+
+<p>He turned to a servant and bade him ask his mistress to come to the
+castle hall, where the king expected her.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Athelwold waited with hopeful eyes; the king with curious expectation.
+The husband knew how unattractive a toilet his wife could make if she
+would; Edgar was impatient to test for himself the various reports he
+had received concerning this wild rose of Devonshire.</p>
+
+<p>The lady entered. The hope died from Athelwold's eyes; the pallor of
+death overspread his face. A sudden light flashed into the face of the
+king, a glow made up of passion and anger. For instead of the
+ill-dressed and awkward country housewife for whom Athelwold looked,
+there beamed upon all present a woman of regal beauty, clad in her
+richest attire, her charms of face and person set off with all the
+adornment that jewels and laces could bestow, her face blooming into its
+most engaging smile as she greeted the king.</p>
+
+<p>She had deceived her trusting husband. His story of treachery had driven
+from her heart all the love for him that ever dwelt there. He had robbed
+her of a throne; she vowed revenge in her soul; it might be hers yet;
+with the burning instinct of ambition she had adorned herself to the
+utmost, hoping to punish her faithless lord and win the king.</p>
+
+<p>She succeeded. While Athelwold stood by, biting his lips, striving to
+bring back the truant blood to his face, making hesitating remarks to
+his guest, and turning eyes of deadly anger on his wife, the scheming
+woman was using her most engaging arts of conversation and manner to win
+the king,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> and with a success greater than she knew. Edgar beheld her
+beauty with surprise and joy, his heart throbbing with ardent passion.
+She was all and more than he had been told. Athelwold had basely
+deceived him, and his new-born love for the wife was mingled with a
+fierce desire for revenge upon the husband. But the artful monarch
+dissembled both these passions. He was, to a certain extent, in
+Athelwold's power. His train was not large, and those were days in which
+an angry or jealous thane would not hesitate to lift his hand against a
+king. He, therefore, affected not to be struck with Elfrida's beauty,
+was gracious as usual to his host, and seemed the most agreeable of
+guests.</p>
+
+<p>But passion was burning in his heart, the double passion of love and
+revenge. A day or two of this play of kingly clemency passed, then
+Athelwold and his guests went to hunt in the neighboring forest, and in
+the heat of the chase Edgar gained the opportunity he desired. He
+stabbed his unsuspecting host in the back, left him dead on the field,
+and rode back to the castle to declare his love to the suddenly-widowed
+wife.</p>
+
+<p>Elfrida had won the game for which she had so heartlessly played.
+Ambition in her soul outweighed such love as she bore for Athelwold, and
+she received with gracious welcome the king whose hands were still red
+from the murder of her late spouse. No long time passed before Edgar and
+Elfrida were publicly married, and the love romance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> which had
+distinguished the life of the famed beauty of Devonshire reached its
+consummation.</p>
+
+<p>This romantic story has a sequel which tells still less favorably for
+the Devonshire beauty. She had compassed the murder of her husband. It
+was not her last crime. Edgar died when her son Ethelred was but seven
+years of age. The king had left another son, Edward, by his first wife,
+now fifteen years old. The ambitious woman plotted for the elevation of
+her son to the throne, hoping, doubtless, herself to reign as regent.
+The people favored Edward, as the rightful heir, and the nobility and
+clergy, who feared the imperious temper of Elfrida, determined to thwart
+her schemes. To put an end to the matter, Dunstan the monk, the
+all-powerful king-maker of that epoch, had the young prince anointed and
+crowned. The whole kingdom supported his act, and the hopes of Elfrida
+were seemingly at an end.</p>
+
+<p>But she was a woman not to be easily defeated. She bided her time, and
+affected warm regard for the youthful king, who loved her as if he had
+been her own son, and displayed the most tender affection for his
+brother. Edward, indeed, was a character out of tone with those rude
+tenth-century days, when might was right, and murder was often the first
+step to a throne. He was of the utmost innocence of heart and amiability
+of manners, so pure in his own thoughts that suspicion of others found
+no place in his soul.</p>
+
+<p>One day, four years after his accession, he was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> hunting in a forest in
+Dorsetshire, not far from Corfe-castle, where Elfrida and Ethelred
+lived. The chances of the chase led him to the vicinity of the castle,
+and, taking advantage of the opportunity to see its loved inmates, he
+rode away from his attendants, and in the evening twilight sounded his
+hunting-horn at the castle gates.</p>
+
+<p>This was the opportunity which the ambitious woman had desired. The
+rival of her son had put himself unattended within her reach. Hastily
+preparing for the reception she designed to give him, she came from the
+castle, smiling a greeting.</p>
+
+<p>"You are heartily welcome, dear king and son," she said. "Pray dismount
+and enter."</p>
+
+<p>"Not so, dear madam," he replied. "My company will miss me, and fear I
+have met with some harm. I pray you give me a cup of wine, that I may
+drink in the saddle to you and my little brother. I would stay longer,
+but may not linger."</p>
+
+<p>Elfrida returned for the wine, and as she did so whispered a few words
+to an armed man in the castle hall, one of her attendants whom she could
+trust. As she went on, this man slipped out in the gathering gloom and
+placed himself close behind the king's horse.</p>
+
+<p>In a minute more Elfrida reappeared, wine-cup in hand. The king took the
+cup and raised it to his lips, looking down with smiling face on his
+step-mother and her son, who smiled their love-greeting back to him. At
+this instant the lurking villain in the rear sprang up and buried his
+fatal knife in the king's back.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Filled with pain and horror, Edward involuntarily dropped the cup and
+spurred his horse. The startled animal sprang forward, Edward clinging
+to his saddle for a few minutes, but soon, faint with loss of blood,
+falling to the earth, while one of his feet remained fast in the
+stirrup.</p>
+
+<p>The frightened horse rushed onward, dragging him over the rough ground
+until death put an end to his misery. The hunters, seeking the king,
+found the track of his blood, and traced him till his body was
+discovered, sadly torn and disfigured.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the child Ethelred cried out so pitifully at the frightful
+tragedy which had taken place before his eyes, that his heartless mother
+turned her rage against him. She snatched a torch from one of the
+attendants and beat him unmercifully for his uncontrollable emotion.</p>
+
+<p>The woman a second time had won her game,&mdash;first, by compassing the
+murder of her husband; second, by ordering the murder of her step-son.
+It is pleasant to say that she profited little by the latter base deed.
+The people were incensed by the murder of the king, and Dunstan resolved
+that Ethelred should not have the throne. He offered it to Edgitha, the
+daughter of Edgar. But that lady wisely preferred to remain in the
+convent where she lived in peace: so, in default of any other heir,
+Ethelred was put upon the throne,&mdash;Ethelred the Unready, as he came
+afterwards to be known.</p>
+
+<p>Elfrida at first possessed great influence over her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> son; but her power
+declined as he grew older, and in the end she retired from the court,
+built monasteries and performed penances, in hopes of providing a refuge
+for her pious soul in heaven, since all men hated her upon the earth.</p>
+
+<p>As regards Edward, his tragical death so aroused the sympathy of the
+people that they named him the Martyr, and believed that miracles were
+wrought at his tomb. It cannot be said that his murder was in any sense
+a martyrdom, but the men of that day did not draw fine lines of
+distinction, and Edward the Martyr he remains.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE END OF SAXON ENGLAND.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>We have two pictures to draw, preliminary scenes to the fatal battle of
+Hastings Hill. The first belongs to the morning of September 25, 1066.
+At Stamford Bridge, on the Derwent River, lay encamped a stalwart host,
+that of Harold Hardrada, king of Norway. With him was Tostig, rebel
+brother of King Harold of England, who had brought this army of
+strangers into the land. On the river near by lay their ships.</p>
+
+<p>Here Harold found them, a formidable force, drawn up in a circle, the
+line marked out by shining spears. The English king had marched hither
+in all haste from the coast, where he had been awaiting the coming of
+William of Normandy. Tostig, the rebel son of Godwin, had brought ruin
+upon the land.</p>
+
+<p>Before the battle commenced, twenty horsemen rode out from Harold's
+vanguard and moved towards the foe. Harold, the king, rode at their
+head. As they drew near they saw a leader of the opposing host, clad in
+a blue mantle and wearing a shining helmet, fall to the earth through
+the stumbling of his horse.</p>
+
+<p>"Who is the man that fell?" asked Harold.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The king of Norway," answered one of his companions.</p>
+
+<p>"He is a tall and stately warrior," answered Harold, "but his end is
+near."</p>
+
+<p>Then, under command of the king, one of his noble followers rode up to
+the opposing line and called out,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Is Tostig, the son of Godwin, here?"</p>
+
+<p>"It would be wrong to say he is not," answered the rebel Englishman,
+stepping into view.</p>
+
+<p>The herald then begged him to make peace with his brother, saying that
+it was dreadful that two men, sons of the same mother, should be in arms
+against each other.</p>
+
+<p>"What will Harold give me if I make peace with him?" asked Tostig.</p>
+
+<p>"He will give you a brother's love and make you earl of Northumberland."</p>
+
+<p>"And what will he give to my friend, the king of Norway?"</p>
+
+<p>"Seven feet of earth for a grave," was the grim answer of the envoy;
+"or, as he seems a very tall man, perhaps a foot or two more."</p>
+
+<p>"Ride back, then," said Tostig, "and bid Harold make ready for battle.
+Whatever happens, it shall never be said of Tostig that he basely gave
+up the friend who had helped him in time of need."</p>
+
+<p>The fight began,&mdash;and quickly ended. Hardrada fought like a giant, but
+an arrow in his throat brought him dead to the ground. Tostig fell also,
+and many other chiefs. The Northmen, disheart<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>ened, yielded. Harold gave
+them easy terms, bidding them take their ships and sail again to the
+land whence they had come.</p>
+
+<p>This warlike picture on the land may be matched by one upon the sea.
+Over the waves of the English Channel moved a single ship, such a one as
+had rarely been seen upon those waters. Its sails were of different
+bright colors; the vanes at the mast-heads were gilded; the three lions
+of Normandy were painted here and there; the figure-head was a child
+with a bent bow, its arrow pointed towards the land of England. At the
+mainmast-head floated a consecrated banner, which had been sent from
+Rome.</p>
+
+<p>It was the ship of William of Normandy, alone upon the waves. Three
+thousand vessels in all had left with it the shores of France, six or
+seven hundred of them large in size. Now, day was breaking, and the
+king's ship was alone. The others had vanished in the night.</p>
+
+<p>William ordered a sailor to the mast-head to report on what he could
+see.</p>
+
+<p>"I see nothing but the water and the sky," came the lookout's cry from
+above.</p>
+
+<p>"We have outsailed them; we must lay to," said the duke.</p>
+
+<p>Breakfast was served, with warm spiced wine, to keep the crew in good
+heart. After it was over the sailor was again sent aloft.</p>
+
+<p>"I can see four ships, low down in the offing," he proclaimed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A third time he was sent to the mast-head. His voice now came to those
+on deck filled with merry cheer.</p>
+
+<p>"Now I see a forest of masts and sails," he cried.</p>
+
+<p>Within a few hours afterwards the Normans were landing in Pevensey Bay,
+on the Sussex coast. Harold had been drawn off by the invasion in the
+north, and the new invaders were free to land. Duke William was among
+the first. As he set foot on shore he stumbled and fell. The hearts of
+his knights fell with him, for they deemed this an unlucky sign. But
+William had that ready wit which turns ill into good fortune. Grasping
+two handfuls of the soil, he hastily rose, saying, cheerily, "Thus do I
+seize upon the land of England."</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Harold was feasting, after his victory, at York. As he sat
+there with his captains, a stir was heard at the doors, and in rushed a
+messenger, booted and spurred, and covered with dust from riding fast
+and far.</p>
+
+<p>"The Normans have come!" was his cry. "They have landed at Pevensey Bay.
+They are out already, harrying the land. Smoke and fire are the beacons
+of their march."</p>
+
+<p>That feast came to a sudden end. Soon Harold and his men were in full
+march for London. Here recruits were gathered in all haste. Within a
+week the English king was marching towards where the Normans lay
+encamped. He was counselled to remain and gather more men, leaving some
+one else to lead his army.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Not so," he replied; "an English king must never turn his back to the
+enemy."</p>
+
+<p>We have now a third picture to draw, and a great one,&mdash;that of the
+mighty and momentous conflict which ended in the death of the last of
+the Saxon kings, and the Norman conquest of England.</p>
+
+<p>The force of William greatly outnumbered that of Harold. It comprised
+about sixty thousand men, while Harold had but twenty or thirty
+thousand. And the Normans were more powerfully armed, the English having
+few archers, while many of them were hasty recruits who bore only
+pitchforks and other tools of their daily toil. The English king,
+therefore, did not dare to meet the heavily-armed and mail-clad Normans
+in the open field. Wisely he led his men to the hill of Senlac, near
+Hastings, a spot now occupied by the small town of Battle, so named in
+memory of the great fight. Here he built intrenchments of earth, stones,
+and tree-trunks, behind which he waited the Norman assault. Marshy
+ground covered the English right. In front, at the most exposed
+position, stood the "huscarls," or body-guard, of Harold, men clad in
+mail and armed with great battle-axes, their habit being to interlock
+their shields like a wall. In their midst stood the standard of
+Harold,&mdash;with the figure of a warrior worked in gold and gems,&mdash;and
+beside it the Golden Dragon of Wessex, a banner of ancient fame. Back of
+them were crowded the half-armed rustics who made up the remainder of
+the army.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Duke William had sought, by ravaging the land, to bring Harold to an
+engagement. He had until now subsisted by plunder. He was now obliged to
+concentrate his forces. A concentrated army cannot feed by pillage.
+There was but one thing for the Norman leader to do. He must attack the
+foe in his strong position, with victory or ruin as his only
+alternatives.</p>
+
+<p>The night before the battle was differently passed by the two armies.
+The Normans spent the hours in prayer and confession to their priests.
+Bishop Odo celebrated mass on the field as day dawned, his white
+episcopal vestment covering a coat of mail, while war-horse and
+battle-axe awaited him when the benediction should be spoken. The
+English, on their side, sat round their watch-fires, drinking great
+horns of ale, and singing warlike lays, as their custom for centuries
+had been.</p>
+
+<p>Day had not dawned on that memorable 14th of October, of the year 1066,
+when both sides were in arms and busily preparing for battle. William
+and Harold alike harangued their men and bade them do their utmost for
+victory. Ruin awaited the one side, slavery the other, if defeat fell
+upon their banners.</p>
+
+<p>William rode a fine Spanish horse, which a Norman had brought from
+Galicia, whither he had gone on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Iago.
+The consecrated standard was borne by his side by one Tonstain, "the
+White," two barons having declined<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> the dangerous honor. Behind him rode
+the pride of the Norman nobility.</p>
+
+<p>On the hill-side before them stood Harold and his stout body-guard,
+trenches and earthworks in their front, their shields locked into a wall
+of iron. In the first line stood the men of Kent, this being their
+ancient privilege. Behind them were ranged the burgesses of London, the
+royal standard in their midst. Beside the standard stood Harold himself,
+his brothers Gurth and Leofwin by his side, and around them a group of
+England's noblest thanes and warriors.</p>
+
+<p>On came the Norman column. Steadily awaited them the English phalanx.
+"Dieu aide!" or "God is our help!" shouted the assailing knights.
+"Christ's rood! the holy rood!" roared back the English warriors. Nearer
+they came, till they looked in each other's eyes, and the battle was
+ready to begin.</p>
+
+<p>And now, from the van of the Norman host, rode a man of renown, the
+minstrel Taillefer. A gigantic man he was, singer, juggler, and champion
+combined. As he rode fearlessly forward he chanted in a loud voice the
+ancient "Song of Roland," flinging his sword in the air with one hand as
+he sang, and catching it as it fell with the other. As he sang, the
+Normans took up the refrain of his song, or shouted their battle cry of
+"Dieu aide."</p>
+
+<p>Onward he rode, thrusting his blade through the body of the first
+Englishman he met. The second he encountered was flung wounded to the
+ground.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> With the third the "Song of Roland" ended; the giant minstrel
+was hurled from his horse pierced with a mortal wound. He had sung his
+last song. He crossed himself and was at rest.</p>
+
+<p>On came the Normans, the band of knights led by William assailing
+Harold's centre, the mercenary host of French and Bretons attacking his
+flanks. The Norman foot led the van, seeking to force a passage across
+the English stockade. "Out, out!" fiercely shouted the men of Kent, as
+they plied axe and javelin with busy hands. The footmen were driven
+back. The Norman horse in turn were repulsed. Again and again the duke
+rallied and led his knights to the fatal stockade; again and again he
+and his men were driven back. The blood of the Norseman in his veins
+burned with all the old Viking battle-thirst. The headlong valor which
+he had often shown on Norman plains now impelled him relentlessly
+forward. Yet his coolness and readiness never forsook him. The course of
+the battle ever lay before his eyes, its reins in his grasp. At one time
+during the combat the choicest of the Norman cavalry were driven upon a
+deep trench which the English had dug and artfully concealed. In they
+went in numbers, men and horses falling and perishing. Disaster
+threatened Duke William's army. The Bretons, checked by the marshes on
+the right broke in disorder. Panic threatened to spread through the
+whole array, and a wild cry arose that the duke was slain. Men in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>
+numbers turned their backs upon the foe; a headlong flight was begun.</p>
+
+<p>At this almost fatal moment Duke William's power as a leader revealed
+itself. His horse had been killed, but no harm had come to him.
+Springing to the back of a fresh steed, he spurred before the fugitives,
+and bade them halt, threatened them, struck them with his spear. When
+the cry was repeated that the duke was dead, he tore off his helmet and
+showed his face to the flying host. "Here I am!" he cried, in a
+stentorian voice. "Look at me! I live, and by God's help will conquer
+yet!"</p>
+
+<p>Their leader's voice gave new courage to the Norman host, the flight
+ceased; they rallied, and, following the headlong charge of the duke,
+attacked the English with renewed fierceness and vigor. William fought
+like an aroused lion. Horse after horse was killed under him, but he
+still appeared at the head of his men, shouting his terrible war-cry,
+striking down a foeman with every swing of his mighty iron club.</p>
+
+<p>He broke through the stockade; he spurred furiously on those who guarded
+the king's standard; down went Gurth, the king's brother, before a blow
+of that terrible mace; down went Leofwin, a second brother of the king;
+William's horse fell dead under him, a rider refused to lend him his
+horse, but a blow from that strong mailed hand emptied the saddle, and
+William was again horsed and using his mighty weapon with deadly effect.</p>
+
+<p>Yet despite all his efforts the English line of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> defence remained
+unbroken. That linked wall of shields stood intact. From behind it the
+terrible battle-axes of Harold's men swung like flails, making crimson
+gaps in the crowded ranks before them. Hours had passed in this
+conflict. It began with day-dawn; the day was waning, yet still the
+English held their own; the fate of England hung in the scale; it began
+to look as if Harold would win.</p>
+
+<p>But Duke William was a man of resources. That wall of shields must be
+rent asunder, or the battle was lost. If it could not be broken by
+assault, it might by retreat. He bade the men around him to feign a
+disorderly flight. The trick succeeded; many of the English leaped the
+stockade and pursued their flying foes. The crafty duke waited until the
+eager pursuers were scattered confusedly down the hill. Then, heading a
+body of horse which he had kept in reserve, he rushed upon the
+disordered mass, cutting them down in multitudes, strewing the hill-side
+with English slain.</p>
+
+<p>Through the abandoned works the duke led his knights, and gained the
+central plateau. On the flanks the French and Bretons poured over the
+stockade and drove back its poorly-armed defenders. It was
+mid-afternoon, and the field already seemed won. Yet when the sunset
+hour came on that red October day the battle still raged. Harold had
+lost his works of defence, yet his huscarls stood stubbornly around him,
+and with unyielding obstinacy fought for their standard and their king.
+The spot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> on which they made their last fight was that marked afterwards
+by the high altar of Battle Abbey.</p>
+
+<p>The sun was sinking. The battle was not yet decided. For nine hours it
+had raged. Dead bodies by thousands clogged the field. The living fought
+from a platform of the dead. At length, as the sun was nearing the
+horizon, Duke William brought up his archers and bade them pour their
+arrows upon the dense masses crowded around the standard of the English
+king. He ordered them to shoot into the air, that the descending shafts
+might fall upon the faces of the foe.</p>
+
+<p>Victory followed the flight of those plumed shafts. As the sun went down
+one of them pierced Harold's right eye. When they saw him fall the
+Normans rushed like a torrent forward, and a desperate conflict ensued
+over the fallen king. The Saxon standard still waved over the serried
+English ranks. Robert Fitz Ernest, a Norman knight, fought his way to
+the staff. His outstretched hand had nearly grasped it when an English
+battle-axe laid him low. Twenty knights, grouped in mass, followed him
+through the English phalanx. Down they went till ten of them lay
+stretched in death. The other ten reached the spot, tore down the
+English flag, and in a few minutes more the consecrated banner of
+Normandy was flying in its stead.</p>
+
+<p>The conflict was at an end. As darkness came the surviving English fled
+into the woods in their rear. The Normans remained masters of the field.
+Harold, the king, was dead, and all his brothers had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> fallen; Duke
+William was England's lord. On the very spot where Harold had fallen the
+conqueror pitched his tent, and as darkness settled over vanquished
+England he "sate down to eat and drink among the dead."</p>
+
+<p>No braver fight had ever been made than that which Harold made for
+England. The loss of the Normans had been enormous. On the day after the
+battle the survivors of William's army were drawn up in line, and the
+muster-roll called. To a fourth of the names no answer was returned.
+Among the dead were many of the noblest lords and bravest knights of
+Normandy. Yet there were hungry nobles enough left to absorb all the
+fairest domains of Saxon England, and they crowded eagerly around the
+duke, pressing on him their claims. A new roll was prepared, containing
+the names of the noblemen and gentlemen who had survived the bloody
+fight. This was afterwards deposited in Battle Abbey, which William had
+built upon the hill where Harold made his gallant stand.</p>
+
+<p>The body of the slain king was not easily to be found. Harold's aged
+mother, who had lost three brave sons in the battle, offered Duke
+William its weight in gold for the body of the king. Two monks sought
+for it, but in vain. The Norman soldiers had despoiled the dead, and the
+body of a king could not be told among that heap of naked corpses. In
+the end the monks sent for Editha, a beautiful maiden to whom Harold had
+been warmly attached, and begged her to search for her slain lover.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Editha, the "swan-necked," as some chroniclers term her, groped, with
+eyes half-blinded with tears, through that heap of mutilated dead, her
+soul filled with horror, yet seeking on and on until at length her
+love-true eyes saw and knew the face of the king. Harold's body was
+taken to Waltham Abbey, on the river Lea, a place he had loved when
+alive. Here he was interred, his tomb bearing the simple inscription,
+placed there by the monks of Waltham, "Here lies the unfortunate
+Harold!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>HEREWARD THE WAKE.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Through the mist of the far past of English history there looms up
+before our vision a notable figure, that of Hereward the Wake, the "last
+of the Saxons," as he has been appropriately called, a hero of romance
+perhaps more than of history, but in some respects the noblest warrior
+who fought for Saxon England against the Normans. His story is a fabric
+in which threads of fact and fancy seem equally interwoven; of much of
+his life, indeed, we are ignorant, and tradition has surrounded this
+part of his biography with tales of largely imaginary deeds; but he is a
+character of history as well as of folk lore, and his true story is full
+of the richest elements of romance. It is this noteworthy hero of old
+England with whom we have now to deal.</p>
+
+<p>No one can be sure where Hereward was born, though most probably the
+county of Lincolnshire may claim the honor. We are told that he was heir
+to the lordship of Bourne, in that county. Tradition&mdash;for we have not
+yet reached the borders of fact&mdash;says that he was a wild and unruly
+youth, disrespectful to the clergy, disobedient to his parents, and so
+generally unmanageable that in the end his father banished him from his
+home.</p>
+
+<p>Little was the truculent lad troubled by this. He had in him the spirit
+of a wanderer and outlaw,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> but was one fitted to make his mark wherever
+his feet should fall. In Scotland, while still a boy, he killed,
+single-handed, a great bear,&mdash;a feat highly considered in those days
+when all battles with man and beast were hand to hand. Next we hear of
+him in Cornwall, one of whose race of giants Hereward found reserved for
+his prowess. This was a fellow of mighty limb and boastful tongue, vast
+in strength and terrible in war, as his own tale ran. Hereward fought
+him, and the giant ceased to boast. Cornwall had a giant the less. Next
+he sought Ireland, and did yeoman service in the wars of that unquiet
+island. Taking ship thence, he made his way to Flanders, where legend
+credits him with wonderful deeds. Battle and bread were the nutriment of
+his existence, the one as necessary to him as the other, and a journey
+of a few hundreds of miles, with the hope of a hard fight at the end,
+was to him but a holiday.</p>
+
+<p>Such is the Hereward to whom tradition introduces us, an idol of popular
+song and story, and doubtless a warrior of unwonted courage and skill,
+agile and strong, ready for every toil and danger, and so keenly alert
+and watchful that men called him the Wake. This vigorous and valiant man
+was born to be the hero and champion of the English, in their final
+struggle for freedom against their Norman foes.</p>
+
+<p>A new passion entered Hereward's soul in Flanders, that of love. He met
+and wooed there a fair lady, Torfrida by name, who became his wife.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> A
+faithful helpmeet she proved, his good comrade in his wanderings, his
+wise counseller in warfare, and ever a softening influence in the fierce
+warrior's life. Hitherto the sword had been his mistress, his temper the
+turbulent and hasty one of the dweller in camp. Henceforth he owed a
+divided allegiance to love and the sword, and grew softer in mood,
+gentler and more merciful in disposition, as life went on.</p>
+
+<p>To this wandering Englishman beyond the seas came tidings of sad
+disasters in his native land. Harold and his army had been overthrown at
+Hastings, and Norman William was on the throne; Norman earls had
+everywhere seized on English manors, Norman churls, ennobled on the
+field of battle, were robbing and enslaving the old owners of the land.
+The English had risen in the north, and William had harried whole
+counties, leaving a desert where he had found a fertile and flourishing
+land. The sufferings of the English at home touched the heart of this
+genuine Englishman abroad. Hereward the Wake gathered a band of stout
+warriors, took ship, and set sail for his native land.</p>
+
+<p>And now, to a large extent, we leave the realm of legend, and enter the
+domain of fact. Hereward henceforth is a historical character, but a
+history his with shreds of romance still clinging to its skirts. First
+of all, story credits him with descending on his ancestral hall of
+Bourne, then in the possession of Normans, his father driven from his
+domain, and now in his grave. Hereward dealt with the Nor<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>mans as
+Ulysses had done with the suitors, and when the hall was his there were
+few of them left to tell the tale. Thence, not caring to be cooped up by
+the enemy within stone walls, he marched merrily away, and sought a
+safer refuge elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>This descent upon Bourne we should like to accept as fact. It has in it
+the elements of righteous retribution. But we must admit that it is one
+of the shreds of romance of which we have spoken, one of those
+interesting stories which men believe to be true because they would like
+them to be true,&mdash;possibly with a solid foundation, certainly with much
+embellishment.</p>
+
+<p>Where we first surely find Hereward is in the heart of the fen country
+of eastern England. Here, at Ely in Cambridgeshire, a band of Englishmen
+had formed what they called a "Camp of Refuge," whence they issued at
+intervals in excursions against the Normans. England had no safer haven
+of retreat for her patriot sons. Ely was practically an island, being
+surrounded by watery marshes on all sides. Lurking behind the reeds and
+rushes of these fens, and hidden by their misty exhalations, that
+faithful band had long defied its foes.</p>
+
+<p>Hither came Hereward with his warlike followers, and quickly found
+himself at the head of the band of patriot refugees. History was
+repeating itself. Centuries before King Alfred had sought just such a
+shelter against the Danes, and had troubled his enemies as Hereward now
+began to trouble his.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img66.jpg"
+             alt="ELY CATHEDRAL." /><br />
+         <b>ELY CATHEDRAL.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>The exiles of the Camp of Refuge found new blood in their organization
+when Hereward became their leader. Their feeble forays were quickly
+replaced by bold and daring ones. Issuing like hornets from their nests,
+Hereward and his valiant followers sharply stung the Norman invaders,
+hesitating not to attack them wherever found, cutting off armed bands,
+wresting from them the spoils of which they had robbed the Saxons, and
+flying back to their reedy shelter before their foes could gather in
+force.</p>
+
+<p>Of the exploits of this band of active warriors but one is told in full,
+and that one is worth repeating. The Abbey of Peterborough, not far
+removed from Ely, had submitted to Norman rule and gained a Norman
+abbot, Turold by name. This angered the English at Ely, and they made a
+descent upon the settlement. No great harm was intended. Food and some
+minor spoil would have satisfied the raiders. But the frightened monks,
+instead of throwing themselves on the clemency of their
+fellow-countrymen, sent word in haste to Turold. This incensed the
+raiding band, composed in part of English, in part of Danes who had
+little regard for church privileges. Provoked to fury, they set fire to
+the monks' house and the town, and only one house escaped the flames.
+Then they assailed the monastery, the monks flying for their lives. The
+whole band of outlaws burst like wolves into the minster, which they
+rapidly cleared of its treasures. Here some climbed to the great rood,
+and carried<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> off its golden ornaments. There others made their way to
+the steeple, where had been hidden the gold and silver pastoral staff.
+Shrines, roods, books, vestments, money, treasures of all sorts
+vanished, and when Abbot Turold appeared with a party of armed Normans,
+he found but the bare walls of the church and the ashes of the town,
+with only a sick monk to represent the lately prosperous monastery.
+Whether or not Hereward took part in this affair, history does not say.</p>
+
+<p>King William had hitherto disregarded this patriot refuge, and the bold
+deeds of the valiant Hereward. All England besides had submitted to his
+authority, and he was too busy in the work of making a feudal kingdom of
+free England to trouble himself about one small centre of insurrection.
+But an event occurred that caused him to look upon Hereward with more
+hostile eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Among those who had early sworn fealty to him, after the defeat of
+Harold at Hastings, were Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and
+Northumberland. They were confirmed in the possession of their estates
+and dignities, and remained faithful to William during the general
+insurrection of northern England. As time went on, however, their
+position became unbearable. The king failed to give them his confidence,
+the courtiers envied them their wealth and titles, and maligned them to
+the king. Their dignity of position was lost at the court; their safety
+even was endangered; they resolved, when too late, to emulate their
+braver countryman,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> and strike a blow for home and liberty. Edwin sought
+his domain in the north, bent on insurrection. Morcar made his way to
+the Isle of Ely, where he took service with his followers, and with
+other noble Englishmen, under the brave Hereward, glad to find one spot
+on which a man of true English blood could still set foot in freedom.</p>
+
+<p>His adhesion brought ruin instead of strength to Hereward. If William
+could afford to neglect a band of outlaws in the fens, he could not rest
+with these two great earls in arms against him. There were forces in the
+north to attend to Edwin; Morcar and Hereward must be looked after.</p>
+
+<p>Gathering an army, William marched to the fen country and prepared to
+attack the last of the English in their almost inaccessible Camp of
+Refuge. He had already built himself a castle at Cambridge, and here he
+dwelt while directing his attack against the outlaws of the fens.</p>
+
+<p>The task before him was not a light one, in the face of an opponent so
+skilful and vigilant as Hereward the Wake. The Normans of that region
+had found him so ubiquitous and so constantly victorious that they
+ascribed his success to enchantment; and even William, who was not free
+from the superstitions of his day, seemed to imagine that he had an
+enchanter for a foe. Enchanter or not, however, he must be dealt with as
+a soldier, and there was but one way in which he could be reached. The
+heavily-armed Norman soldiers could not cross the marsh. From one side
+the Isle of Ely could be approached<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> by vessels, but it was here so
+strongly defended that the king's ships failed to make progress against
+Hereward's works. Finding his attack by water a failure, William began
+the building of a causeway, two miles long, across the morasses from the
+dry land to the island.</p>
+
+<p>This was no trifling labor. There was a considerable depth of mud and
+water to fill, and stones and trunks of trees were brought for the
+purpose from all the surrounding country, the trees being covered with
+hides as a protection against fire. The work did not proceed in peace.
+Hereward and his men contested its progress at every point, attacked the
+workmen with darts and arrows from the light boats in which they
+navigated the waters of the fens, and, despite the hides, succeeded in
+setting fire to the woodwork of the causeway. More than once it had to
+be rebuilt; more than once it broke down under the weight of the Norman
+knights and men-at-arms, who crowded upon it in their efforts to reach
+the island, and many of these eager warriors, weighed down by the burden
+of their armor, met a dismal death in the mud and water of the marshes.</p>
+
+<p>Hereward fought with his accustomed courage, warlike skill, and
+incessant vigilance, and gave King William no easy task, despite the
+strength of his army and the abundance of his resources. But such a
+contest, against so skilled an enemy as William the Conqueror, and with
+such disparity of numbers, could have but one termination. Hereward
+struck so valiant a last blow for England that he won the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> admiration of
+his great opponent; but William was not the man to rest content with
+aught short of victory, and every successful act of defence on the part
+of the English was met by a new movement of assault. Despite all
+Hereward's efforts, the causeway slowly but surely moved forward across
+the fens.</p>
+
+<p>But Hereward's chief danger lay behind rather than before; in the island
+rather than on the mainland. His accessions of nobles and commons had
+placed a strong body of men under his command, with whom he might have
+been able to meet William's approaches by ship and causeway, had not
+treason laid intrenched in the island itself. With war in his front and
+treachery in his rear the gallant Wake had a double danger to contend
+with.</p>
+
+<p>This brings us to a picturesque scene, deftly painted by the old
+chroniclers. Ely had its abbey, a counterpart of that of Peterborough.
+Thurston, the abbot, was English-born, as were the monks under his
+pastoral charge; and long the cowled inmates of the abbey and the armed
+patriots of the Camp of Refuge dwelt in sweet accord. In the refectory
+of the abbey monks and warriors sat side by side at table, their
+converse at meals being doubtless divided between affairs spiritual and
+affairs temporal, while from walls and roof hung the arms of the
+warriors, harmoniously mingled with the emblems of the church. It was a
+picture of the marriage of church and state well worthy of reproduction
+on canvas.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Yet King William knew how to deal with Abbot Thurston. Lands belonging
+to the monastery lay beyond the fens, and on these the king laid the
+rough hand of royal right, as an earnest of what would happen when the
+monastery itself should fall into his hands. A flutter of terror shook
+the hearts of the abbot and his family of monks. To them it seemed that
+the skies were about to fall, and that they would be wise to stand from
+under.</p>
+
+<p>While the monks of Ely were revolving this threat of disaster in their
+souls, the tide of assault and defence rolled on. William's causeway
+pushed its slow length forward through the fens. Hereward assailed it
+with fire and sword, and harried the king's lands outside by sudden
+raids. It is said that, like King Alfred before him, he more than once
+visited the camp of the Normans in disguise, and spied out their ways
+and means of warfare.</p>
+
+<p>There is a story connected with this warlike enterprise so significant
+of the times that it must be told. Whether or not William believed
+Hereward to be an enchanter, he took steps to defeat enchantment, if any
+existed. An old woman, who had the reputation of being a sorceress, was
+brought to the royal camp, and her services engaged in the king's cause.
+A wooden tower was built, and pushed along the causeway in front of the
+troops, the old woman within it actively dispensing her incantations and
+calling down the powers of witch-craft upon Hereward's head.
+Unfortunately for her, Hereward tried against her sorcery of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>
+broomstick the enchantment of the brand, setting fire to the tower and
+burning it and the sorceress within it. We could scarcely go back to a
+later date than the eleventh century to find such an absurdity as this
+possible, but in those days of superstition even such a man as William
+the Conqueror was capable of it.</p>
+
+<p>How the contest would have ended had treason been absent it is not easy
+to say. As it was, Abbot Thurston and his monks brought the siege to a
+sudden and disastrous end. They showed the king a secret way of approach
+to the island, and William's warriors took the camp of Hereward by
+surprise. What followed scarcely needs the telling. A fierce and sharp
+struggle, men falling and dying in scores, William's heavy-armed
+warriors pressing heavily upon the ranks of the more lightly clad
+Englishmen, and final defeat and surrender, complete the story of the
+assault upon Ely.</p>
+
+<p>William had won, but Hereward still defied him. Striking his last blow
+in defence, the gallant leader, with a small band of chosen followers,
+cut a lane of blood through the Norman ranks and made his way to a small
+fleet of ships which he had kept armed and guarded for such an
+emergency. Sail was set, and down the stream they sped to the open sea,
+still setting at defiance the power of Norman William.</p>
+
+<p>We have two further lines of story to follow, one of history, the other
+of romance; one that of the reward of the monks for their treachery, the
+other that of the later story of Hereward the Wake. Abbot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> Thurston
+hastened to make his submission to the king. He and the inmates of the
+monastery sought the court, then at Warwick, and humbly begged the royal
+favor and protection. The story goes that William repaid their visit by
+a journey to Ely, where he entered the minster while the monks, all
+unconscious of the royal visit, were at their meal in the refectory. The
+king stood humbly at a distance from the shrine, as not worthy to
+approach it, but sent a mark of gold to be offered as his tribute upon
+the altar.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, one Gilbert of Clare entered the refectory, and asked the
+feasting monks whether they could not dine at some other time, and if it
+were not wise to repress their hunger while King William was in the
+church. Like a flock of startled pigeons the monks rose, their appetites
+quite gone, and flocked tumultuously towards the church. They were too
+late. William was gone. But in his short visit he had left them a most
+unwelcome legacy by marking out the site of a castle within the
+precincts of the monastery, and giving orders for its immediate building
+by forced labor.</p>
+
+<p>Abbot Thurston finally purchased peace from the king at a high rate,
+paying him three hundred marks of silver for his one mark of gold. Nor
+was this the end. The silver marks proved to be light in weight. To
+appease the king's anger at this, another three hundred silver marks
+were offered, and King William graciously suffered them to say their
+prayers thenceforward in peace. Their treachery to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> Hereward had not
+proved profitable to the traitors.</p>
+
+<p>If now we return to the story of Hereward the Wake, we must once more
+leave the realm of history for that of legend, for what further is told
+of him, though doubtless based on fact, is strictly legendary in
+structure. Landing on the coast of Lincolnshire, the fugitives abandoned
+their light ships for the widespreading forests of that region, and long
+lived the life of outlaws in the dense woodland adjoining Hereward's
+ancestral home of Bourne. Like an earlier Robin Hood, the valiant Wake
+made the greenwood his home and the Normans his prey, covering nine
+shires in his bold excursions, which extended as far as the distant town
+of Warwick. The Abbey of Peterborough, with its Norman abbot, was an
+object of his special detestation, and more than once Turold and his
+monks were put to flight, while the abbey yielded up a share of its
+treasures to the bold assailants.</p>
+
+<p>How long Hereward and his men dwelt in the greenwood we are not able to
+say. They defied there the utmost efforts of their foes, and King
+William, whose admiration for his defiant enemy had not decreased,
+despairing of reducing him by force, made him overtures of peace.
+Hereward was ready for them. He saw clearly by this time that the Norman
+yoke was fastened too firmly on England's neck to be thrown off. He had
+fought as long as fighting was of use. Surrender only remained. A day
+came at length in which he rode from the forest with forty stout
+warriors at his back, made his way<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> to the royal seat of Winchester, and
+knocked at the city gates, bidding the guards to carry the news to the
+conqueror that Hereward the Wake had come.</p>
+
+<p>William gladly received him. He knew the value of a valiant soul, and
+was thereafter a warm friend of Hereward, who, on his part, remained as
+loyal and true to the king as he had been strong and earnest against
+him. And so years passed on, Hereward in favor at court, and he and
+Torfrida, his Flemish wife, living happily in the castle which William's
+bounty had provided them.</p>
+
+<p>There is more than one story of Hereward's final fate. One account says
+that he ended his days in peace. The other, more in accordance with the
+spirit of the times and the hatred and jealousy felt by many of the
+Norman nobles against this English prot&eacute;g&eacute; of the king, is so stirring
+in its details that it serves as a fitting termination to the Hereward
+romance.</p>
+
+<p>The story goes that he kept close watch and ward in his house against
+his many enemies. But on one occasion his chaplain, Ethelward, then on
+lookout duty, fell asleep on his post. A band of Normans was
+approaching, who broke into the house without warning being given, and
+attacked Hereward alone in his hall.</p>
+
+<p>He had barely time to throw on his armor when his enemies burst in upon
+him and assailed him with sword and spear. The fight that ensued was one
+that would have gladdened the soul of a Viking of old. Hereward laid
+about him with such savage<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> energy that the floor was soon strewn with
+the dead bodies of his foes, and crimsoned with their blood. Finally the
+spear broke in the hero's hand. Next he grasped his sword and did with
+it mighty deeds of valor. This, too, was broken in the stress of fight.
+His shield was the only weapon left him, and this he used with such
+vigor and skill that before he had done fifteen Normans lay dead upon
+the floor.</p>
+
+<p>Four of his enemies now got behind him and smote him in the back. The
+great warrior was brought to his knees. A Breton knight, Ralph of Dol,
+rushed upon him, but found the wounded lion dangerous still. With a last
+desperate effort Hereward struck him a deadly blow with his buckler, and
+Breton and Saxon fell dead together to the floor. Another of the
+assailants, Asselin by name, now cut off the head of this last defender
+of Saxon England, and holding it in the air, swore by God and his might
+that he had never before seen a man of such valor and strength, and that
+if there had been three more like him in the land the French would have
+been driven out of England, or been slain on its soil.</p>
+
+<p>And so ends the stirring story of Hereward the Wake, that mighty man of
+old.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE DEATH OF THE RED KING.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>William of Normandy, by the grace of God and his iron mace, had made
+himself king of England. An iron king he proved, savage, ruthless, the
+descendant of a few generations of pirate Norsemen, and himself a pirate
+in blood and temper. England strained uneasily under the harsh rein
+which he placed upon it, and he harried the country mercilessly, turning
+a great area of fertile land into a desert. That he might have a
+hunting-park near the royal palace, he laid waste all the land that lay
+between Winchester and the sea, planting there, in place of the homes
+destroyed and families driven out, what became known as the "New
+Forest." Nothing angered the English more than this ruthless act. A law
+had been passed that any one caught killing a deer in William's new
+hunting-grounds should have his eyes put out. Men prayed for
+retribution. It came. The New Forest proved fatal to the race of the
+Conqueror. In 1081 his oldest son Richard mortally wounded himself
+within its precincts. In May of the year 1100 his grandson Richard, son
+of Duke Robert, was killed there by a stray arrow. And, as if to
+emphasize more strongly this work of retribution, two months afterwards
+William Rufus, the Red King, the son of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> the Conqueror, was slain in the
+same manner within its leafy shades.</p>
+
+<p>William Rufus&mdash;William II. of England&mdash;was, like all his Norman
+ancestors, fond of the chase. When there were no men to be killed, these
+fierce old dukes and kings solaced themselves with the slaughter of
+beasts. In early summer of the year 1100 the Red King was at Winchester
+Castle, on the skirts of the New Forest. Thence he rode to Malwood-Keep,
+a favorite hunting-lodge in the forest. Boon companions were with him,
+numbers of them, one of them a French knight named Sir Walter Tyrrell,
+the king's favorite. Here the days were spent in the delights of the
+chase, the nights in feasting and carousing, and all went merrily.</p>
+
+<p>Around them spread far and wide the umbrageous lanes and alleys of the
+New Forest, trees of every variety, oaks in greatest number, crowding
+the soil. As yet there were no trees of mighty girth. The forest was
+young. Few of its trees had more than a quarter-century of growth,
+except where more ancient woodland had been included. The place was
+solitary, tenanted only by the deer which had replaced man upon its
+soil, and by smaller creatures of wing and fur. Barely a human foot trod
+there, save when the king's hunting retinue swept through its verdant
+aisles and woke its solitary depths with the cheerful notes of the
+hunting-horn. The savage laws of the Conqueror kept all others but the
+most daring poachers from its aisles.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the stage set for the tragedy which we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> have to relate. The
+story goes that rough jests passed at Malwood-Keep between Tyrrell and
+the king, ending in anger, as jests are apt to. William boasted that he
+would carry an army through France to the Alps. Tyrrell, heated with
+wine, answered that he might find France a net easier to enter than to
+escape from. The hearers remembered these bitter words afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>On the night before the fatal day it is said that cries of terror came
+from the king's bed-chamber. The attendants rushed thither, only to find
+that the monarch had been the victim of nightmare. When morning came he
+laughed the incident to scorn, saying that dreams were fit to scare only
+old women and children. His companions were not so easily satisfied.
+Those were days when all men's souls were open to omens good and bad.
+They earnestly advised him not to hunt that day. William jested at their
+fears, vowed that no dream should scare him from the chase, yet, uneasy
+at heart, perhaps, let the hours pass without calling for his horse.
+Midday came. Dinner was served. William ate and drank with unusual
+freedom. Wine warmed his blood and drove off his clinging doubts. He
+rose from the table and ordered his horse to be brought. The day was
+young enough still to strike a deer, he said.</p>
+
+<p>The king was in high spirits. He joked freely with his guests as he
+mounted his horse and prepared for the chase. As he sat in his saddle a
+woodman presented him six new arrows. He examined<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> them, declared that
+they were well made and proper shafts, and put four of them in his
+quiver, handing the other two to Walter Tyrrell.</p>
+
+<p>"These are for you," he said. "Good marksmen should have good arms."</p>
+
+<p>Tyrrell took them, thanked William for the gift, and the hunting-party
+was about to start, when there appeared a monk who asked to speak with
+the king.</p>
+
+<p>"I come from the convent of St. Peter, at Gloucester," he said. "The
+abbot bids me give a message to your majesty."</p>
+
+<p>"Abbot Serlon; a good Norman he," said the king. "What would he say?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your majesty," said the monk, with great humility, "he bids me state
+that one of his monks has dreamed a dream of evil omen. He deems the
+king should know it."</p>
+
+<p>"A dream!" declared the king. "Has he sent you hither to carry shadows?
+Well, tell me your dream. Time presses."</p>
+
+<p>"The dream was this. The monk, in his sleep, saw Jesus Christ sitting on
+a throne, and at his feet kneeled a woman, who supplicated him in these
+words: 'Saviour of the human race, look down with pity on thy people
+groaning under the yoke of William.'"</p>
+
+<p>The king greeted this message with a loud laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"Do they take me for an Englishman, with their dreams?" he asked. "Do
+they fancy that I am fool enough to give up my plans because a monk<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>
+dreams or an old woman sneezes? Go, tell your abbot I have heard his
+story. Come, Walter de Poix, to horse!"</p>
+
+<p>The train swept away, leaving the monkish messenger alone, the king's
+disdainful laugh still in his ears. With William were his brother Henry,
+long at odds with him, now reconciled, William de Breteuil, and several
+other nobles. Quickly they vanished among the thickly clustering trees,
+and soon broke up into small groups, each of which took its own route
+through the forest. Walter Tyrrell alone remained with the king, their
+dogs hunting together.</p>
+
+<p>That was the last that was seen of William, the Red King, alive. When
+the hunters returned he was not with them. Tyrrell, too, was missing.
+What had become of them? Search was made, but neither could be found,
+and doubt and trouble of soul pervaded Malwood-Keep.</p>
+
+<p>The shades of night were fast gathering when a poor charcoal-burner,
+passing with his cart through the forest, came upon a dead body
+stretched bleeding upon the grass. An arrow had pierced its breast.
+Lifting it into his cart, wrapped in old linen, he jogged slowly onward,
+the blood still dripping and staining the ground as he passed. Not till
+he reached the hunting-lodge did he discover that it was the corpse of a
+king he had found in the forest depths. The dead body was that of
+William II. of England.</p>
+
+<p>Tyrrell had disappeared. In vain they sought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> him. He was nowhere to be
+found. Suspicion rested on him. He had murdered the king, men said, and
+fled the land.</p>
+
+<p>Mystery has ever since shrouded the death of the Red King. Tyrrell lived
+to tell his tale. It was probably a true one, though many doubted it.
+The Frenchman had quarrelled with the king, men said, and had murdered
+him from revenge. Just why he should have murdered so powerful a friend
+and patron, for a taunt passed in jest, was far from evident.</p>
+
+<p>Tyrrell's story is as follows: He and the king had taken their stations,
+opposite one another, waiting the work of the woodsmen who were beating
+up the game. Each had an arrow in his cross-bow, his finger on the
+trigger, eagerly listening for the distant sounds which would indicate
+the coming of game. As they stood thus intent, a large stag suddenly
+broke from the bushes and sprang into the space between them.</p>
+
+<p>William drew, but the bow-string broke in his hand. The stag, startled
+at the sound, stood confused, looking suspiciously around. The king
+signed to Tyrrell to shoot, but the latter, for some reason, did not
+obey. William grew impatient, and called out,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Shoot, Walter, shoot, in the devil's name!"</p>
+
+<p>Shoot he did. An instant afterwards the king fell without word or moan.
+Tyrrell's arrow had struck a tree, and, glancing, pierced the king's
+breast; or it may be that an arrow from a more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> distant bow had struck
+him. When Tyrrell reached his side he was dead.</p>
+
+<p>The French knight knew what would follow if he fell into the hands of
+the king's companions. He could not hope to make people credit his tale.
+Mounting his horse, he rode with all speed through the forest, not
+drawing rein till the coast was reached. He had far outridden the news
+of the tragedy. Taking ship here, he crossed over in haste to Normandy,
+and thence made his way to France, not drawing a breath free from care
+till he felt the soil of his native land beneath his feet. Here he lived
+to a good age and died in peace, his life diversified by a crusading
+visit to the Holy Land.</p>
+
+<p>The end of the Red King resembled that of his father. The Conqueror had
+been deserted before he had fairly ceased breathing, his body left half
+clad on the bare boards of his chamber, while some of his attendants
+rifled the palace, others hastened to offer their services to his son.
+The same scenes followed the Red King's death. His body was left in the
+charcoal-burner's cart, clotted with blood, to be conveyed to
+Winchester, while his brother Henry rode post-haste thither to seize the
+royal treasure, and the train of courtiers rode as rapid a course, to
+look after their several interests.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the royal palace, Henry imperiously demanded the keys of the
+king's treasure-chamber. Before he received them William de Breteuil
+entered, breathless with haste, and bade the keepers not to deliver
+them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Thou and I," he said to Henry, "ought loyally to keep the faith which
+we promised to thy brother, Duke Robert; he has received our oath of
+homage, and, absent or present, he has the right."</p>
+
+<p>But what was faith, what an oath, when a crown was the prize? A quarrel
+followed; Henry drew his sword; the people around supported him; soon he
+had the treasure and the royal regalia; Robert might have the right, he
+had the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>There is tradition connected with the Red King's death. A stirrup hangs
+in Lyndhurst Hall, said to be that which he used on that fatal day. The
+charcoal-burner was named Purkess. There are Purkesses still in the
+village of Minstead, near where William Rufus died. And the story runs
+that the earthly possessions of the Purkess family have ever since been
+a single horse and cart. A stone marks the spot where the king fell, on
+it is the inscription,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Here stood the oak-tree on which the arrow, shot by Walter Tyrrell at a
+stag, glanced and struck King William II., surnamed Rufus, on the
+breast; of which stroke he instantly died on the second of August, 1100.</p>
+
+<p>"That the spot where an event so memorable had happened might not
+hereafter be unknown, this stone was set up by John, Lord Delaware, who
+had seen the tree growing in this place, anno 1745."</p>
+
+<p>We may end by saying that England was revenged; the retribution for
+which her children had prayed had overtaken the race of the pirate
+king.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> That broad domain of Saxon England, which William the Conqueror
+had wrested from its owners to make himself a hunting-forest, was
+reddened with the blood of two of his sons and a grandson. The hand of
+Heaven had fallen on that cruel race. The New Forest was consecrated in
+the blood of one of the Norman kings.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>HOW THE WHITE SHIP SAILED.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Henry I., king of England, had made peace with France. Then to Normandy
+went the king with a great retinue, that he might have Prince William,
+his only and dearly-loved son, acknowledged as his successor by the
+Norman nobles and married to the daughter of the Count of Anjou. Both
+these things were done; regal was the display, great the rejoicing, and
+on the 25th of November, 1120, the king and his followers, with the
+prince and his fair young bride, prepared to embark at Barfleur on their
+triumphant journey home.</p>
+
+<p>So far all had gone well. Now disaster lowered. Fate had prepared a
+tragedy that was to load the king's soul with life-long grief and yield
+to English history one of its most pathetic tales.</p>
+
+<p>Of the vessels of the fleet, one of the best was a fifty-oared galley
+called "The White Ship," commanded by a certain Thomas Fitzstephen,
+whose father had sailed the ship on which William the Conqueror first
+came to England's shores. This service Fitzstephen represented to the
+king, and begged that he might be equally honored.</p>
+
+<p>"My liege," he said, "my father steered the ship with the golden boy
+upon the prow in which your father sailed to conquer England, I beseech
+you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> to grant me the same honor, that of carrying you in the White Ship
+to England."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry, friend," said the king, "that my vessel is already chosen,
+and that I cannot sail with the son of the man who served my father. But
+the prince and all his company shall go along with you in the White
+Ship, which you may esteem an honor equal to that of carrying me."</p>
+
+<p>By evening of that day the king with his retinue had set sail, with a
+fair wind, for England's shores, leaving the prince with his attendants
+to follow in Fitzstephen's ship. With the prince were his natural
+brother Richard, his sister the countess of Perch, Richard, earl of
+Chester, with his wife, the king's niece, together with one hundred and
+forty of the flower of the young nobility of England and Normandy,
+accompanying whom were many ladies of high descent. The whole number of
+persons taking passage on the White Ship, including the crew, were three
+hundred.</p>
+
+<p>Prince William was but a boy, and one who did little honor to his
+father's love. He was a dissolute youth of eighteen, who had so little
+feeling for the English as to have declared that when he came to the
+throne he would yoke them to the plough like oxen. Destiny had decided
+that the boastful boy should not have the opportunity to carry out this
+threat.</p>
+
+<p>"Give three casks of wine, Fitzstephen," he said, "to your crew. My
+father, the king, has sailed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> What time have we to make merry here and
+still reach England with the rest?"</p>
+
+<p>"If we sail at midnight," answered Fitzstephen, "my fifty rowers and the
+White Ship shall overtake the swiftest vessel in the king's fleet before
+daybreak."</p>
+
+<p>"Then let us be merry," said the prince; "the night is fine, the time
+young, let us enjoy it while we may."</p>
+
+<p>Merry enough they were; the prince and his companions danced in the
+moonlight on the ship's deck, the sailors emptied their wine-casks, and
+when at last they left the harbor there was not a sober sailor on board,
+and the captain himself was the worse for wine.</p>
+
+<p>As the ship swept from the port, the young nobles, heated with wine,
+hung over the sides and drove away with taunts the priests who had come
+to give the usual benediction. Wild youths were they,&mdash;the most of
+them,&mdash;gay, ardent, in the hey-day of life, caring mainly for pleasure,
+and with little heed of aught beyond the moment's whim. There seemed
+naught to give them care, in sooth. The sea lay smooth beneath them, the
+air was mild, the moon poured its soft lustre upon the deck, and
+propitious fortune appeared to smile upon the ship as it rushed onward,
+under the impulse of its long banks of oars, in haste to overtake the
+distant fleet of the king.</p>
+
+<p>All went merrily. Fitzstephen grasped the helm, his soul proud with the
+thought that, as his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> father had borne the Conqueror to England's
+strand, he was bearing the pride of younger England, the heir to the
+throne. On the deck before him his passengers were gathered in merry
+groups, singing, laughing, chatting, the ladies in their rich-lined
+mantles, the gentlemen in their bravest attire; while to the sound of
+song and merry talk the well-timed fall of the oars and swash of driven
+waters made refrain.</p>
+
+<p>They had reached the harbor's mouth. The open ocean lay before them. In
+a few minutes more they would be sweeping over the Atlantic's broad
+expanse. Suddenly there came a frightful crash; a shock that threw
+numbers of the passengers headlong to the deck, and tore the oars from
+the rowers' hands; a cry of terror that went up from three hundred
+throats. It is said that some of the people in the far-off ships heard
+that cry, faint, far, despairing, borne to them over miles of sea, and
+asked themselves in wonder what it could portend.</p>
+
+<p>It portended too much wine and too little heed. The vessel, carelessly
+steered, had struck upon a rock, the <i>Catee-raze</i>, at the harbor's
+mouth, with such, violence that a gaping wound was torn in her prow, and
+the waters instantly began to rush in.</p>
+
+<p>The White Ship was injured, was filling, would quickly sink. Wild
+consternation prevailed. There was but one boat, and that small.
+Fitzstephen, sobered by the concussion, hastily lowered it, crowded into
+it the prince and a few nobles, and bade them hastily to push off and
+row to the land.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is not far," he said, "and the sea is smooth. The rest of us must
+die."</p>
+
+<p>They obeyed. The boat was pushed off, the oars dropped into the water,
+it began to move from the ship. At that moment, amid the cries of horror
+and despair on the sinking vessel, came one that met the prince's ear in
+piteous appeal. It was the voice of his sister, Marie, the countess of
+Perch, crying to him for help.</p>
+
+<p>In that moment of frightful peril Prince William's heart beat true.</p>
+
+<p>"Row back at any risk!" he cried. "My sister must be saved. I cannot
+bear to leave her."</p>
+
+<p>They rowed back. But the hope that from that panic-stricken multitude
+one woman could be selected was wild. No sooner had the boat reached the
+ship's side than dozens madly sprung into it, in such numbers that it
+was overturned. At almost the same moment the White Ship went down,
+dragging all within reach into her eddying vortex. Death spread its
+sombre wings over the spot where, a few brief minutes before, life and
+joy had ruled.</p>
+
+<p>When the tossing eddies subsided, the pale moonlight looked down on but
+two souls of all that gay and youthful company. These clung to a spar
+which had broken loose from the mast and floated on the waves, or to the
+top of the mast itself, which stood above the surface.</p>
+
+<p>"Only two of us, out of all that gallant company!" said one of these in
+despairing tones. "Who are you, friend and comrade?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I am a nobleman, Godfrey, the son of Gilbert de L'Aigle. And you?" he
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I am Berold, a poor butcher of Rouen," was the answer.</p>
+
+<p>"God be merciful to us both!" they then cried together.</p>
+
+<p>Immediately afterwards they saw a third, who had risen and was swimming
+towards them. As he drew near he pushed the wet, clinging hair from his
+face, and they saw the white, agonized countenance of Fitzstephen. He
+gazed at them with eager eyes; then cast a long, despairing look on the
+waters around him.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is the prince?" he asked, in tones that seemed to shudder with
+terror.</p>
+
+<p>"Gone! gone!" they cried. "Not one of all on board, except we three, has
+risen above the water."</p>
+
+<p>"Woe! woe, to me!" moaned Fitzstephen. He ceased swimming, turned to
+them a face ghastly with horror, and then sank beneath the waves, to
+join the goodly company whom his negligence had sent to a watery death.
+He dared not live to meet the father of his charge.</p>
+
+<p>The two continued to cling to their support. But the water had in it the
+November chill, the night was long, the tenderly-reared nobleman lacked
+the endurance of his humbler companion. Before day-dawn he said, in
+faint accents,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I am exhausted and chilled with the cold. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> can hold on no longer.
+Farewell, good friend! God preserve you!"</p>
+
+<p>He loosed his hold and sank. The butcher of Rouen remained alone.</p>
+
+<p>When day came some fisherman saw this clinging form from the shore,
+rowed out, and brought him in, the sole one living of all that goodly
+company. A few hours before the pride and hope of Normandy and England
+had crowded that noble ship. Now only a base-born butcher survived to
+tell the story of disaster, and the stately White Ship, with her noble
+freightage, lay buried beneath the waves.</p>
+
+<p>For three days no one dared tell King Henry the dreadful story. Such was
+his love for his son that they feared his grief might turn to madness,
+and their lives pay the forfeit of their venture. At length a little lad
+was sent in to him with the tale. Weeping bitterly, and kneeling at the
+king's feet, the child told in broken accents the story which had been
+taught him, how the White Ship had gone to the bottom at the mouth of
+Barfleur harbor, and all on board been lost save one poor commoner.
+Prince William, his son, was dead.</p>
+
+<p>The king heard him to the end, with slowly whitening face and
+horror-stricken eyes. At the conclusion of the child's narrative the
+monarch fell prostrate to the floor, and lay there long like one
+stricken with death. The chronicle of this sad tragedy ends in one short
+phrase, which is weighty with its burden of grief,&mdash;From that day on
+King Henry never smiled again!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>A CONTEST FOR A CROWN.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Terrible was the misery of England. Torn between contending factions,
+like a deer between snarling wolves, the people suffered martyrdom,
+while thieves and assassins, miscalled soldiers, and brigands, miscalled
+nobles, ravaged the land and tortured its inhabitants. Outrage was law,
+and death the only refuge from barbarity, and at no time in the history
+of England did its people endure such misery as in those years of the
+loosening of the reins of justice and mercy which began with 1139
+<span class="smcap">A.D.</span></p>
+
+<p>It was the autumn of the year named. At every port of England bands of
+soldiers were landing, with arms and baggage; along every road leading
+from the coast bands of soldiers were marching; in every town bands of
+soldiers were mustering; here joining in friendly union, there coming
+into hostile contact, for they represented rival parties, and were
+speeding to the gathering points of their respective leaders.</p>
+
+<p>All England was in a ferment, men everywhere arming and marching. All
+Normandy was in turmoil, soldiers of fortune crowding to every port,
+eager to take part in the harrying of the island realm. The Norman
+nobles of England were everywhere fortifying their castles, which had
+been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> sternly prohibited by the recent king. Law and authority were for
+the time being abrogated, and every man was preparing to fight for his
+own hand and his own land. A single day, almost, had divided the Normans
+of England into two factions, not yet come to blows, but facing each
+other like wild beasts at bay. And England and the English were the prey
+craved by both these herds of human wolves.</p>
+
+<p>There were two claimants to the throne: Matilda,&mdash;or Maud, as she is
+usually named,&mdash;daughter of Henry I., and Stephen of Blois, grandson of
+William the Conqueror. Henry had named his daughter as his successor;
+Stephen seized the throne; the issue was sharply drawn between them.
+Each of them had a legal claim to the throne, Stephen's the better, he
+being the nearest male heir. No woman had as yet ruled in England.
+Maud's mother had been of ancient English descent, which gave her
+popularity among the Saxon inhabitants of the land. Stephen was
+personally popular, a good-humored, generous prodigal, his very faults
+tending to make him a favorite. Yet he was born to be a swordsman, not a
+king, and his only idea of royalty was to let the land rule&mdash;or misrule
+it if preferred&mdash;itself, while he enjoyed the pleasures and declined the
+toils of kingship.</p>
+
+<p>A few words will suffice to bring the history of those turbulent times
+up to the date of the opening of our story. The death of Henry I. was
+followed by anarchy in England. His daughter Maud, wife<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> of Geoffry the
+Handsome, Count of Anjou, was absent from the land. Stephen, Count of
+Blois, and son of Adela, the Conqueror's daughter, was the first to
+reach it. Speeding across the Channel, he hurried through England, then
+in the turmoil of lawlessness, no noble joining him, no town opening to
+him its gates, until London was reached. There the coldness of his route
+was replaced by the utmost warmth of welcome. The city poured from its
+gates to meet him, hastened to elect him king, swore to defend him with
+blood and treasure, and only demanded in return that the new king should
+do his utmost to pacify the realm.</p>
+
+<p>Here Stephen failed. He was utterly unfit to govern. While he thought
+only of profligate enjoyment, the barons fortified their castles and
+became petty kings in their several domains. The great prelates followed
+their example. Then, for the first time, did Stephen awake from his
+dream of pleasure and attempt to play the king. He seized Roger, Bishop
+of Salisbury, and threw him into prison to force him to surrender his
+fortresses. This precipitated the trouble that brooded over England. The
+king lost the support of the clergy by his violence to their leader,
+alienated many of the nobles by his hasty action, and gave Maud the
+opportunity for which she had waited. She lost no time in offering
+herself to the English as a claimant to the crown.</p>
+
+<p>Her landing was made on the 22d of September, 1139, on the coast of
+Sussex. Here she threw herself into Arundel Castle, and quickly
+afterwards<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> made her way to Bristol Castle, then held by her
+illegitimate brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester.</p>
+
+<p>And now the state of affairs we had described began. The nobles of the
+north and west of England renounced their allegiance to Stephen and
+swore allegiance to Maud. London and the east remained faithful to the
+king. A stream of men-at-arms, hired by both factions, poured from the
+neighboring coast of Normandy into the disputed realm. Each side had
+promised them, for their pay, the lands and wealth of the other. Like
+vultures to the feast they came, with little heed to the rights of the
+rival claimants and the wrongs of the people, with much heed to their
+own private needs and ambitions.</p>
+
+<p>In England such anarchy ruled as that land of much intestine war has
+rarely witnessed. The Norman nobles prepared in haste for the civil war,
+and in doing so made the English their prey. To raise the necessary
+funds, many of them sold their domains, townships, and villages, with
+the inhabitants thereof and all their goods. Others of them made forays
+on the lands of those of the opposite faction, and seized cattle,
+horses, sheep, and men alike carrying off the English in chains, that
+they might force them by torture to yield what wealth they possessed.</p>
+
+<p>Terror ruled supreme. The realm was in a panic of dread. So great was
+the alarm, that the inhabitants of city and town alike took to flight if
+they saw a distant group of horsemen approaching. Three or four armed
+men were enough to empty<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> a town of its inhabitants. It was in Bristol,
+where Maud and her foreign troops lay, that the most extreme terror
+prevailed. All day long men were being brought into the city bound and
+gagged. The citizens had no immunity. Soldiers mingled among them in
+disguise, their arms concealed, their talk in the English tongue,
+strolling through markets and streets, listening to the popular chat,
+and then suddenly seizing any one who seemed to be in easy
+circumstances. These they would drag to their head-quarters and hold to
+ransom.</p>
+
+<p>The air was filled with tales of the frightful barbarities practised by
+the Norman nobles on the unhappy English captives in the depths of their
+gloomy castles. "They carried off," says the Saxon chronicle, "all who
+they thought possessed any property, men and women, by day and by night;
+and whilst they kept them imprisoned, they inflicted on them tortures,
+such as no martyr ever underwent, in order to obtain gold and silver
+from them." We must be excused from quoting the details of these
+tortures.</p>
+
+<p>"They killed many thousands of people by hunger," continues the
+chronicle. "They imposed tribute after tribute upon the towns and
+villages, calling this in their tongue <i>tenserie</i>. When the citizens had
+nothing more to give them, they plundered and burnt the town. You might
+have travelled a whole day without finding a single soul in the towns,
+or a cultivated field. The poor died of hunger, and those who had been
+formerly well-off begged<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> their bread from door to door. Whoever had it
+in his power to leave England did so. Never was a country delivered up
+to so many miseries and misfortunes; even in the invasions of the pagans
+it suffered less than now. Neither the cemeteries nor the churches were
+spared; they seized all they could, and then set fire to the church. To
+till the ground was useless. It was openly reported that Christ and his
+saints were sleeping."</p>
+
+<p>One cannot but think that this frightful picture is somewhat overdrawn;
+yet nothing could indicate better the condition of a Middle-Age country
+under a weak king, and torn by the adherents of rival claimants to the
+throne.</p>
+
+<p>Let us leave this tale of torture and horror and turn to that of war. In
+the conflict between Stephen and Maud the king took the first step. He
+led his army against Bristol. It proved too strong for him, and his
+soldiers, in revenge, burnt the environs, after robbing them of all they
+could yield. Then, leaving Bristol, he turned against the castles on the
+Welsh borders, nearly all of whose lords had declared for Maud.</p>
+
+<p>From the laborious task of reducing these castles he was suddenly
+recalled by an insurrection in the territory so far faithful to him. The
+fens of Ely, in whose recesses Hereward the Wake had defied the
+Conqueror, now became the stronghold of a Norman revolt. A baron and a
+bishop, Baldwin de Revier and Lenior, Bishop of Ely, built stone
+in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>trenchments on the island, and defied the king from behind the watery
+shelter of the fens.</p>
+
+<p>Hither flocked the partisans of Maud; hither came Stephen, filled with
+warlike fury. He lacked the qualities that make a king, but he had those
+that go to make a soldier. The methods of the Conqueror in attacking
+Hereward were followed by Stephen in assailing his foes. Bridges of
+boats were built across the fens; over these the king's cavalry made
+their way to the firm soil of the island; a fierce conflict ensued,
+ending in the rout of the soldiers of Baldwin and Lenior. The bishop
+fled to Gloucester, whither Maud had now proceeded.</p>
+
+<p>Thus far the king had kept the field, while his rival lay intrenched in
+her strongholds. But her party was earnestly at work. The barons of the
+Welsh marches, whose castles had been damaged by the king, repaired
+them. Even the towers of the great churches were filled with war-engines
+and converted into fortresses, ditches being dug in the church-yards
+around, with little regard to the fact that the bones of the dead were
+unearthed and scattered over the soil. The Norman bishops, completely
+armed, and mounted on war-horses, took part in these operations, and
+were no more scrupulous than the barons in torturing the English to
+force from them their hoarded gold and silver.</p>
+
+<p>Those were certainly not the days of merry England. Nor were they days
+of pious England, when the heads of the church, armed with sword and
+spear, led armies against their foes. In this they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> were justified by
+the misrule of Stephen, who had shown his utter unfitness to rule. In
+truth, a bishop ended that first phase of the war. The Bishop of Chester
+rallied the troops which had fled from Ely. These grew by rapid
+accretions until a new army was in the field. Stephen attacked it, but
+the enemy held their own, and his troops were routed. They fled on all
+sides, leaving the king alone in the midst of his foes. He lacked not
+courage. Single-handed he defended himself against a throng of
+assailants. But his men were in flight; he stood alone; it was death or
+surrender; he yielded himself prisoner. He was taken to Gloucester, and
+thence to Bristol Castle, in whose dungeons he was imprisoned. For the
+time being the war was at an end. Maud was queen.</p>
+
+<p>The daughter of Henry might have reigned during the remainder of her
+life but for pride and folly, two faults fitted to wreck the best-built
+cause. All was on her side except herself. Her own arrogance drove her
+from the throne before it had grown warm from her sitting.</p>
+
+<p>For the time, indeed, Stephen's cause seemed lost. He was in a dungeon
+strongly guarded by his adversaries. His partisans went over in crowds
+to the opposite side,&mdash;his own brother, Henry, Bishop of Winchester,
+with them. The English peasants, embittered by oppression, rose against
+the beaten army, and took partial revenge for their wrongs by plundering
+and maltreating the defeated and dispersed soldiers in their flight.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Maud made her way to Winchester, her progress being one of royal
+ostentation. Her entry to the town was like a Roman triumph. She was
+received with all honor, was voted queen in a great convocation of
+nobles, prelates, and knights, and seized the royal regalia and the
+treasures of her vanquished foe. All would have gone well with her had
+not good fortune turned her brain. Pride and a haughty spirit led to her
+hasty downfall.</p>
+
+<p>She grew arrogant and disdainful. Those who had made her queen found
+their requests met with refusal, their advice rejected with scorn. Those
+of the opposite party who had joined her were harshly treated. Her most
+devoted friends and adherents soon grew weak in their loyalty, and many
+withdrew from the court, with the feeling that they had been fools to
+support this haughty woman against the generous-hearted soldier who lay
+in Bristol dungeon.</p>
+
+<p>From Winchester Maud proceeded to London, after having done her cause as
+much harm as she well could in the brief time at her disposal. She was
+looked for in the capital city with sentiments of hope and pride. Her
+mother had been English, and the English citizens felt a glow of
+enthusiasm to feel that one whose blood was even half Saxon was coming
+to rule over them. Their pride quickly changed into anger and desire for
+revenge.</p>
+
+<p>Maud signalized her entrance into London by laying on the citizens an
+enormous poll-tax. Stephen had done his utmost to beggar them; famine
+threat<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>ened them; in extreme distress they prayed the queen to give them
+time to recover from their present miseries before laying fresh taxes on
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"The king has left us nothing," said their deputies, humbly.</p>
+
+<p>"I understand," answered Maud, with haughty disdain, "that you have
+given all to my adversary and have conspired with him against me; now
+you expect me to spare you. You shall pay the tax."</p>
+
+<p>"Then," pleaded the deputies, "give us something in return. Restore to
+us the good laws of thy great uncle, Edward, in place of those of thy
+father, King Henry, which are bad and too harsh for us."</p>
+
+<p>Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. The queen listened to
+the deputies in a rage, treated them as if they had been guilty of
+untold insolence in daring to make this request, and with harsh menaces
+drove them from her presence, bidding them to see that the tax was paid,
+or London should suffer bitterly for its contumacy.</p>
+
+<p>The deputies withdrew with a show of respect, but with fury in their
+hearts, and repaired to their council-chamber, whence the news of what
+had taken place sped rapidly through the city. In her palace Queen Maud
+waited in proud security, nothing doubting that she had humbled those
+insolent citizens, and that the deputies would soon return ready to
+creep on their knees to the foot of her throne and offer a golden
+recompense for their daring demand for milder laws.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the bells of London began to ring. In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> the streets adjoining
+the palace loud voices were heard. People seemed gathering rapidly. What
+did it mean? Were these her humbled citizens of London? Surely there
+were threats mingled with those harsh cries! Threats against the queen
+who had just entered London in triumph and been received with such
+hearty enthusiasm! Were the Londoners mad?</p>
+
+<p>She would have thought so had she been in the streets. From every house
+issued a man, armed with the first weapon he could find, his face
+inflamed with anger. They flocked out as tumultuously as bees from a
+hive, says an old writer. The streets of London, lately quiet, were now
+filled with a noisy throng, all hastening towards the palace, all
+uttering threats against this haughty foreign woman, who must have lost
+every drop of her English blood, they declared.</p>
+
+<p>The palace was filled with alarm. It looked as if the queen's Norman
+blood would be lost as well as that from her English sires. She had
+men-at-arms around her, but not enough to be of avail against the
+clustering citizens in those narrow and crooked streets. Flight, and
+that a speedy one, was all that remained. White with terror, the queen
+took to horse, and, surrounded by her knights and soldiers, fled from
+London with a haste that illy accorded with the stately and deliberate
+pride with which she had recently entered that turbulent capital.</p>
+
+<p>She was none too soon. The frightened <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>cort&eacute;ge had not left the palace
+far behind it before the maddened citizens burst open its doors,
+searched every nook and cranny of the building for the queen and her
+body-guard, and, finding they had fled, wreaked their wrath on all that
+was left, plundering the apartments of all they contained.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the queen, wild with fright, was galloping at full speed from
+the hostile beehive she had disturbed. Her barons and knights, in a
+panic of fear and deeming themselves hotly pursued, dropped off from the
+party one by one, hoping for safety by leaving the highway for the
+by-ways, and caring little for the queen so that they saved their
+frightened selves. The queen rode on in mad terror until Oxford was
+reached, only her brother, the Earl of Gloucester, and a few others
+keeping her company to that town.</p>
+
+<p>They fled from a shadow. The citizens had not pursued them. These
+turbulent tradesmen were content with ridding London of this power-mad
+woman, and they went back satisfied to their homes, leaving the city
+open to occupation by the partisans of Stephen, who entered it under
+pretense of an alliance with the citizens. The Bishop of Winchester, who
+seems to have been something of a weathercock in his political faith,
+turned again to his brothers side, set Stephen's banner afloat on
+Windsor Castle and converted his bishop's residence into a fortress.
+Robert of Gloucester came with Maud's troops to besiege it. The garrison
+set fire to the surrounding houses to annoy the besiegers. While<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> the
+town was burning, an army from London appeared, fiercely attacked the
+assailants, and forced them to take refuge in the churches. These were
+set on fire to drive out the fugitives. The affair ended in Robert of
+Gloucester being taken prisoner and his followers dispersed.</p>
+
+<p>Then once more the Saxon peasants swarmed from their huts like hornets
+from their hives and assailed the fugitives as they had before assailed
+those from Stephen's army. The proud Normans, whose language betrayed
+them in spite of their attempts at disguise, were robbed, stripped of
+their clothing, and driven along the roads by whips in the hands of
+Saxon serfs, who thus repaid themselves for many an act of wrong. The
+Bishop of Canterbury and other high prelates and numbers of great lords
+were thus maltreated, and for once were thoroughly humbled by those
+despised islanders whom their fathers had enslaved.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended the second act in this drama of conquest and re-conquest.
+Maud, deprived of her brother, was helpless. She exchanged him for King
+Stephen, and the war broke out afresh. Stephen laid siege to Oxford, and
+pressed it so closely that once more Maud took to flight. It was
+midwinter. The ground was covered with snow. Dressing herself from head
+to foot in white, and accompanied by three knights similarly attired,
+she slipped out of a postern in the hope of being unseen against the
+whiteness of the snow-clad surface.</p>
+
+<p>Stephen's camp was asleep, its sentinels alone<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> being astir. The scared
+fugitives glided on foot through the snow, passing close to the enemy's
+posts, the voices of the sentinels sounding in their ears. On foot they
+crossed the frozen Thames, gained horses on the opposite side, and
+galloped away in hasty flight.</p>
+
+<p>There is little more to say. Maud's cause was at an end. Not long
+afterwards her brother died, and she withdrew to Normandy, glad,
+doubtless, to be well out of that pestiferous island, but, mayhap,
+mourning that her arrogant folly had robbed her of a throne.</p>
+
+<p>A few years afterwards her son Henry took up her cause, and landed in
+England with an army. But the threatened hostilities ended in a truce,
+which provided that Henry should reign after Stephen's death. Stephen
+died a year afterwards, England gained an able monarch, and prosperity
+returned to the realm after fifteen years of the most frightful misery
+and misrule.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD C&OElig;UR DE LION.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In the month of October, in the year of our Lord 1192, a pirate vessel
+touched land on the coast of Sclavonia, at the port of Yara. Those were
+days in which it was not easy to distinguish between pirates and true
+mariners, either in aspect or avocation, neither being afflicted with
+much inconvenient honesty, both being hungry for spoil. From this vessel
+were landed a number of passengers,&mdash;knights, chaplains, and
+servants,&mdash;Crusaders on their way home from the Holy Land, and in need,
+for their overland journey, of a safe-conduct from the lord of the
+province.</p>
+
+<p>He who seemed chief among the travellers sent a messenger to the ruler
+of Yara, to ask for this safe-conduct, and bearing a valuable ruby ring
+which he was commissioned to offer him as a present. The lord of Yara
+received this ring, which he gazed upon with eyes of doubt and
+curiosity. It was too valuable an offer for a small service, and he had
+surely heard of this particular ruby before.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are they that have sent thee to ask a free passage of me?" he asked
+the messenger.</p>
+
+<p>"Some pilgrims returning from Jerusalem," was the answer.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And by what names call you these pilgrims?"</p>
+
+<p>"One is called Baldwin de Bethune," rejoined the messenger. "The other,
+he who sends you this ring, is named Hugh the merchant."</p>
+
+<p>The ruler fixed his eyes again upon the ring, which he examined with
+close attention. He at length replied,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You had better have told me the truth, for your ring reveals it. This
+man's name is not Hugh, but Richard, king of England. His gift is a
+royal one, and, since he wished to honor me with it without knowing me,
+I return it to him, and leave him free to depart. Should I do as duty
+bids, I would hold him prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>It was indeed Richard C&oelig;ur de Lion, on his way home from the Crusade
+which he had headed, and in which his arbitrary and imperious temper had
+made enemies of the rulers of France and Austria, who accompanied him.
+He had concluded with Saladin a truce of three years, three months,
+three days, and three hours, and then, disregarding his oath that he
+would not leave the Holy Land while he had a horse left to feed on, he
+set sail in haste for home. He had need to, for his brother John was
+intriguing to seize the throne.</p>
+
+<p>On his way home, finding that he must land and proceed part of the way
+overland, he dismissed all his suite but a few attendants, fearing to be
+recognized and detained. The single vessel which he now possessed was
+attacked by pirates, but the fight, singularly enough, ended in a truce,
+and was fol<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>lowed by so close a friendship between Richard and the
+pirate captain that he left his vessel for theirs, and was borne by them
+to Yara.</p>
+
+<p>The ruler of Yara was a relative of the marquis of Montferrat, whose
+death in Palestine had without warrant been imputed to Richard's
+influence. The king had, therefore, unwittingly revealed himself to an
+enemy and was in imminent danger of arrest. On receiving the message
+sent him he set out at once, not caring to linger in so doubtful a
+neighborhood. No attempt was made to stop him. The lord of Yara was in
+so far faithful to his word. But he had not promised to keep the king's
+secret, and at once sent a message to his brother, lord of a neighboring
+town, that King Richard of England was in the country, and would
+probably pass through his town.</p>
+
+<p>There was a chance that he might pass undiscovered; pilgrims from
+Palestine were numerous; Richard reached the town, where no one knew
+him, and obtained lodging with one of its householders as Hugh, a
+merchant from the East.</p>
+
+<p>As it happened, the lord of the town had in his service a Norman named
+Roger, formerly from Argenton. To him he sent, and asked him if he knew
+the king of England.</p>
+
+<p>"No; I never saw him," said Roger.</p>
+
+<p>"But you know his language&mdash;the Norman French, there may be some token
+by which you can recognize him; go seek him in the inns where pilgrims
+lodge, or elsewhere. He is a prize well<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> worth taking. If you put him in
+my hands I will give you the government of half my domain."</p>
+
+<p>Roger set out upon his quest, and continued it for several days, first
+visiting the inns, and then going from house to house of the town,
+keenly inspecting every stranger. The king was really there, and at last
+was discovered by the eager searcher. Though in disguise, Roger
+suspected him. That mighty bulk, those muscular limbs, that imperious
+face, could belong to none but him who had swept through the Saracen
+hosts with a battle-axe which no other of the Crusaders could wield.
+Roger questioned him so closely that the king, after seeking to conceal
+his identity, was at length forced to reveal who he really was.</p>
+
+<p>"I am not your foe, but your friend," cried Roger, bursting into tears.
+"You are in imminent danger here, my liege, and must fly at once. My
+best horse is at your service. Make your escape, without delay, out of
+German territory."</p>
+
+<p>Waiting until he saw the king safely horsed, Roger returned to his
+master, and told him that the report was a false one. The only Crusader
+he had found in the town was Baldwin de Bethune, a Norman knight, on his
+way home from Palestine. The lord, furious at his disappointment, at
+once had Baldwin arrested and imprisoned. But Richard had escaped.</p>
+
+<p>The flying king hurried onward through the German lands, his only
+companions now being William de l'Etang, his intimate friend, and a
+valet who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> could speak the language of the country, and who served as
+their interpreter. For three days and three nights the travellers
+pursued their course, without food or shelter, not daring to stop or
+accost any of the inhabitants. At length they arrived at Vienna,
+completely worn out with hunger and fatigue.</p>
+
+<p>The fugitive king could have sought no more dangerous place of shelter.
+Vienna was the capital of Duke Leopold of Austria, whom Richard had
+mortally offended in Palestine, by tearing down his banner and planting
+the standard of England in its place. Yet all might have gone well but
+for the servant, who, while not a traitor, was as dangerous a thing, a
+fool. He was sent out from the inn to exchange the gold byzantines of
+the travellers for Austrian coin, and took occasion to make such a
+display of his money, and assume so dignified and courtier-like an air,
+that the citizens grew suspicious of him and took him before a
+magistrate to learn who he was. He declared that he was the servant of a
+rich merchant who was on his way to Vienna, and would be there in three
+days. This reply quieted the suspicions of the people, and, the foolish
+fellow was released.</p>
+
+<p>In great affright he hastened to the king, told him what had happened,
+and begged him to leave the town at once. The advice was good, but a
+three-days' journey without food or shelter called for some repose, and
+Richard decided to remain<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> some days longer in the town, confident that,
+if they kept quiet, no further suspicion would arise.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the news of the incident at Yara had spread through the
+country and reached Vienna. Duke Leopold heard it with a double
+sentiment of enmity and avarice. Richard had insulted him; here was a
+chance for revenge; and the ransom of such a prisoner would enrich his
+treasury, then, presumably, none too full. Spies and men-at-arms were
+sent out in search of travellers who might answer to the description of
+the burly English monarch. For days they traversed the country, but no
+trace of him could be found. Leopold did not dream that his mortal foe
+was in his own city, comfortably lodged within a mile of his palace.</p>
+
+<p>Richard's servant, who had imperilled him before, now succeeded in
+finishing his work of folly. One day he appeared in the market to
+purchase provisions, foolishly bearing in his girdle a pair of richly
+embroidered gloves, such as only great lords wore when in court attire.
+The fellow was arrested again, and this time, suspicion being increased,
+was put to the torture. Very little of this sharp discipline sufficed
+him. He confessed whom he served, and told the magistrate at what inn
+King Richard might be found.</p>
+
+<p>Within an hour afterwards the inn was surrounded by soldiers of the
+duke, and Richard, taken by surprise, was forced to surrender. He was
+brought before the duke, who recognized him at a glance, accosted him
+with great show of courtesy,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> and with every display of respect ordered
+him to be taken to prison, where picked soldiers with drawn swords
+guarded him day and night.</p>
+
+<p>The news that King Richard was a prisoner in an Austrian fortress spread
+through Europe, and everywhere gave joy to the rulers of the various
+realms. Brave soldier as he was, he of the lion heart had succeeded in
+offending all his kingly comrades in the Crusade, and they rejoiced over
+his captivity as one might over the caging of a captured lion. The
+emperor called upon his vassal, Duke Leopold, to deliver the prisoner to
+him, saying that none but an emperor had the right to imprison a king.
+The duke assented, and the emperor, filled with glee, sent word of his
+good fortune to the king of France, who returned answer that the news
+was more agreeable to him than a present of gold or topaz. As for John,
+the brother of the imprisoned king, he made overtures for an alliance
+with Philip of France, redoubled his intrigues in England and Normandy,
+and secretly instigated the emperor to hold on firmly to his royal
+prize. All Europe seemed to be leagued against the unlucky king, who lay
+in bondage within the stern walls of a German prison.</p>
+
+<p>And now we feel tempted to leave awhile the domain of sober history, and
+enter that of romance, which tells one of its prettiest stories about
+King Richard's captivity. The story goes that the people of England knew
+not what had become of their king. That he was held in durance vile
+somewhere<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> in Germany they had been told, but Germany was a broad land
+and had many prisons, and none knew which held the lion-hearted king.
+Before he could be rescued he must be found, and how should this be
+done?</p>
+
+<p>Those were the days of the troubadours, who sang their lively lays not
+only in Provence but in other lands. Richard himself composed lays and
+sang them to the harp, and Blondel, a troubadour of renown, was his
+favorite minstrel, accompanying him wherever he went. This faithful
+singer mourned bitterly the captivity of his king, and at length, bent
+on finding him, went wandering through foreign lands, singing under the
+walls of fortresses and prisons a lay which Richard well knew. Many
+weary days he wandered without response, almost without hope; yet still
+faithful Blondel roamed on, heedless of the palaces of the land, seeking
+only its prisons and strongholds.</p>
+
+<p>At length arrived a day in which, from a fortress window above his head,
+came an echo of the strain he had just sung. He listened in ecstasy.
+Those were Norman words; that was a well-known voice; it could be but
+the captive king.</p>
+
+<p>"O Richard! O my king!" sang the minstrel again, in a song of his own
+devising.</p>
+
+<p>From above came again the sound of familiar song. Filled with joy, the
+faithful minstrel sought England's shores, told the nobles where the
+king could be found, and made strenuous exertions to obtain his ransom,
+efforts which were at length crowned with success.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Through the alluring avenues of romance the voice of Blondel still comes
+to us, singing his signal lay of "O Richard! O my king!" but history has
+made no record of the pretty tale, and back to history we must turn.</p>
+
+<p>The imprisoned king was placed on trial before the German Diet at Worms,
+charged with&mdash;no one knows what. Whatever the charge, the sentence was
+that he should pay a ransom of one hundred thousand pounds of silver,
+and acknowledge himself a vassal of the emperor. The latter, a mere
+formality, was gone through with as much pomp and ceremony as though it
+was likely to have any binding force upon English kings. The former, the
+raising of the money, was more difficult. Two years passed, and still it
+was not all paid. The royal prisoner, weary of his long captivity,
+complained bitterly of the neglect of his people and friends, singing
+his woes in a song composed in the polished dialect of Provence, the
+land of the troubadours.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no man, however base, whom for want of money I would let lie
+in a prison cell," he sang. "I do not say it as a reproach, but I am
+still a prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>A part of the ransom at length reached Germany, whose emperor sent a
+third of it to the duke of Austria as his share of the prize, and
+consented to the liberation of his captive in the third week after
+Christmas if he would leave hostages to guarantee the remaining
+payment.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img116.jpg"
+             alt="STATUE OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION." /><br />
+         <b>STATUE OF RICHARD C&OElig;UR DE LION.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>Richard agreed to everything, glad to escape from prison on any terms.
+But the news of this agreement spread until it reached the ears of
+Philip of France and his ally, John. Dread filled their hearts at the
+tidings. Their plans for seizing on England and Normandy were not yet
+complete. In great haste Philip sent messengers to the emperor, offering
+him seventy thousand marks of silver if he would hold his prisoner for
+one year longer, or, if he preferred, a thousand pounds of silver for
+each month of captivity. If he would give the prisoner into the custody
+of Philip and his ally, they would pay a hundred and fifty thousand
+marks for the prize.</p>
+
+<p>The offer was a tempting one. It dazzled the mind of the emperor, whose
+ideas of honor were not very deeply planted. But the members of the Diet
+would not suffer him to break his faith. Their power was great, even
+over the emperor's will, and the royal prisoner, after his many weary
+months of captivity, was set free.</p>
+
+<p>Word of the failure of his plans came quickly to Philip's knavish ears,
+and he wrote in haste to his confederate, "the devil is loose; take care
+of yourself," an admonition which John was quite likely to obey. His
+hope of seizing the crown vanished. There remained to meet his placable
+brother with a show of fraternal loyalty.</p>
+
+<p>But Richard was delayed in his purpose of reaching England, and danger
+again threatened him. He had been set free near the end of January,
+1194.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> He dared not enter France, and Normandy, then invaded by the
+French, was not safe for him. His best course was to take ship at a
+German port and sail for England. But it was the season of storms; he
+lay a month at Anvers imprecating the weather; meanwhile, avarice
+overcame both fear and honor in the emperor's heart, the large sum
+offered him outweighed the opposition of the lords of the Diet, and he
+resolved to seize the prisoner again and profit by the French king's
+golden bribe.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately for Richard, the perfidious emperor allowed the secret of
+his design to get adrift; one of the hostages left in his hands heard of
+it and found means to warn the king. Richard, at this tidings, stayed
+not for storm, but at once took passage in the galliot of a Norman
+trader named Alain Franchemer, narrowly escaping the men-at-arms sent to
+take him prisoner. Not many days afterwards he landed at the English
+port of Sandwich, once more a free man and a king.</p>
+
+<p>What followed in Richard's life we design not to tell, other than the
+story of his life's ending with its romantic incidents. The liberated
+king had not been long on his native soil before he succeeded in
+securing Normandy against the invading French, building on its borders a
+powerful fortress, which he called his "Saucy Castle," and the ruins of
+whose sturdy walls still remain. Philip was wrathful when he saw its
+ramparts growing.</p>
+
+<p>"I will take it were its walls of iron," he declared.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I would hold it were the walls of butter," Richard defiantly replied.</p>
+
+<p>It was church land, and the archbishop placed Normandy under an
+interdict. Richard laughed at his wrath, and persuaded the pope to
+withdraw the curse. A "rain of blood" fell, which scared his courtiers,
+but Richard laughed at it as he had at the bishop's wrath.</p>
+
+<p>"Had an angel from heaven bid him abandon his work, he would have
+answered with a curse," says one writer.</p>
+
+<p>"How pretty a child is mine, this child of but a year old!" said
+Richard, gladly, as he saw the walls proudly rise.</p>
+
+<p>He needed money to finish it. His kingdom had been drained to pay his
+ransom. But a rumor reached him that a treasure had been found at
+Limousin,&mdash;twelve knights of gold seated round a golden table, said the
+story. Richard claimed it. The lord of Limoges refused to surrender it.
+Richard assailed his castle. It was stubbornly defended. In savage wrath
+he swore he would hang every soul within its walls.</p>
+
+<p>There was an old song which said that an arrow would be made in Limoges
+by which King Richard would die. The song proved a true prediction. One
+night, as the king surveyed the walls, a young soldier, Bertrand de
+Gourdon by name, drew an arrow to its head, and saying, "Now I pray God
+speed thee well!" let fly.</p>
+
+<p>The shaft struck the king in the left shoulder.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> The wound might have
+been healed, but unskilful treatment made it mortal. The castle was
+taken while Richard lay dying, and every soul in it hanged, as the king
+had sworn, except Bertrand de Gourdon. He was brought into the king's
+tent, heavily chained.</p>
+
+<p>"Knave!" cried Richard, "what have I done to you that you should take my
+life?"</p>
+
+<p>"You have killed my father and my two brothers," answered the youth.
+"You would have hanged me. Let me die now, by any torture you will. My
+comfort is that no torture to me can save <i>you</i>. You, too, must die; and
+through me the world is quit of you."</p>
+
+<p>The king looked at him steadily, and with a gleam of clemency in his
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Youth," he said, "I forgive you. Go unhurt."</p>
+
+<p>Then turning to his chief captain, he said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Take off his chains, give him a hundred shillings, and let him depart."</p>
+
+<p>He fell back on his couch, and in a few minutes was dead, having
+signalized his last moments with an act of clemency which had had few
+counterparts in his life. His clemency was not matched by his piety. The
+priests who were present at his dying bed exhorted him to repentance and
+restitution, but he drove them away with bitter mockery, and died as
+hardened a sinner as he had lived. It should, however, be said that this
+statement of the character of Richard's death, given by the historian
+Green, does not accord with that of Lingard, who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> says that Richard sent
+for his confessor and received the sacraments with sentiments of
+compunction.</p>
+
+<p>As for Bertrand, the chronicles say that he failed to profit by the
+kindness of the king. A dead monarch's voice has no weight in the land.
+The pardoned youth was put to death.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>ROBIN HOOD AND THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>"Where will the old duke live?" asks Oliver, in Shakespeare's "As you
+like it."</p>
+
+<p>"They say he is already in the forest of Arden," answers Charles, "and a
+many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of
+England, and fleet the time carelessly as they did in the golden world."</p>
+
+<p>Many a merry man, indeed, was there with Robin Hood in Sherwood forest,
+and, if we may believe the stories that live in the heart of English
+song, there they fleeted the time as carelessly as men did in the golden
+age; for Robin was king of the merry greenwood, as the Norman kings were
+lords of the realm beside, and though his state was not so great nor his
+coffers so full, his heart was merrier and his conscience more void of
+offence against man and God. If Robin lived by plunder, so did the king;
+the one took toll from a few travellers, the other from a kingdom; the
+one dealt hard blows in self-defence, the other killed thousands in war
+for self-aggrandizement; the one was a patriot, the other an invader.
+Verily Robin was far the honester man of the two, and most worthy the
+admiration of mankind.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nor was the kingdom of Robin Hood so much less extensive than that of
+England's king as men may deem, though its tenants were fewer and its
+revenues less. For in those days forest land spread widely over the
+English isle. The Norman kings had driven out the old inhabitants far
+and wide, and planted forests in place of towns, peopling them with deer
+in place of men. In its way this was merciful, perhaps. Those rude old
+kings were not content unless they were hunting and killing, and it was
+better they should kill deer than men. But their cruel game-laws could
+not keep men from the forests, and the woods they planted served as
+places of shelter for the outlaws they made.</p>
+
+<p>William the Conqueror, so we are told, had no less than sixty-eight
+forests peopled with deer, and guarded against intrusion of common man
+by a cruel interdict. His successors added new forests, until it looked
+as if England might be made all woodland, and the red deer its chief
+inhabitants. Sherwood forest, the favorite lurking-place of the bold
+Robin, stretched for thirty miles in an unbroken line. But this was only
+part of Robin's "realm of plesaunce." From Sherwood it was but a step to
+other forests, stretching league after league, and peopled by bands of
+merry rovers, who laughed at the king's laws, killed and ate his
+cherished deer at their own sweet wills, and defied sheriff and
+man-at-arms, the dense forest depths affording them innumerable
+lurking-places, their skill with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> the bow enabling them to defend their
+domain from assault, and to exact tribute from their foes.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img123.jpg"
+             alt="ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS." /><br />
+         <b>ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>Such was the realm of Robin Hood, a realm of giant oaks and silvery
+birches, a realm prodigal of trees, o'ercanopied with green leaves until
+the sun had ado to send his rays downward, carpeted with brown moss and
+emerald grasses, thicketed with a rich undergrowth of bryony and
+clematis, prickly holly and golden furze, and a host of minor shrubs,
+while some parts of the forest were so dense that, as Camden says, the
+entangled branches of the thickly-set trees "were so twisted together,
+that they hardly left room for a person to pass."</p>
+
+<p>Here were innumerable hiding-places for the forest outlaws when hunted
+too closely by their foes. They lacked not food; the forest was filled
+with grazing deer and antlered stags. There was also abundance of
+smaller game,&mdash;the hare, the coney, the roe; and of birds,&mdash;the
+partridge, pheasant, woodcock, mallard, and heron. Fuel could be had in
+profusion when fire was needed. For winter shelter there were many
+caverns, for Sherwood forest is remarkable for its number of such places
+of refuge, some made by nature, others excavated by man.</p>
+
+<p>Happy must have been the life in this greenwood realm, jolly the outlaws
+who danced and sang beneath its shades, merry as the day was long their
+hearts while summer ruled the year, while even in drear winter they had
+their caverns of refuge, their roaring wood-fires, and the spoils of the
+year's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> forays to carry them through the season of cold and storm. A
+follower of bold Robin might truly sing, with Shakespeare,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">"Under the greenwood tree,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Who loves to lie with me,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And tune his merry note</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Unto the sweet bird's throat,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Come hither, come hither, come hither:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 5em;">Here shall he see</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 5em;">No enemy,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But winter and rough weather."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>But the life of the forest-dwellers was not spent solely in enjoyment of
+the pleasures of the merry greenwood. They were hunted by men, and
+became hunters of men. True English hearts theirs, all Englishmen their
+friends, all Normans their foes, they were in no sense brigands, but
+defenders of their soil against the foreign foe who had overrun it, the
+successors of Hereward the Wake, the last of the English to bear arms
+against the invader, and to keep a shelter in which the English heart
+might still beat in freedom.</p>
+
+<p>No wonder the oppressed peasants and serfs of the fields sang in gleeful
+strains the deeds of the forest-dwellers; no wonder that Robin Hood
+became the hero of the people, and that the homely song of the land was
+full of stories of his deeds. We can scarcely call these historical
+tales: they are legendary; yet it may well be that a stratum of fact
+underlies the aftergrowth of romance; certainly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> they were history to
+the people, and as such, with a mental reservation, they shall be
+history to us. We propose, therefore, here to convert into prose "a
+lytell geste of Robyn Hode."</p>
+
+<p>It was a day in merry spring-tide. Under the sun-sprinkled shadows of
+the "woody and famous forest of Barnsdale" (adjoining Sherwood) stood
+gathered a group of men attired in Lincoln green, bearing long bows in
+their hands and quivers of sharp-pointed arrows upon their shoulders,
+hardy men all, strong of limb and bold of face.</p>
+
+<p>Leaning against an oak of centuried growth stood Robin Hood, the famous
+outlaw chief, a strong man and sturdy, with handsome face and merry blue
+eyes, one fitted to dance cheerily in days of festival, and to strike
+valiantly in hours of conflict. Beside him stood the tall and stalwart
+form of Little John, whose name was given him in jest, for he was the
+stoutest of the band. There also were valiant Much, the miller's son,
+gallant Scathelock, George a Green, the pindar of Wakefield, the fat and
+jolly Friar Tuck, and many another woodsman of renown, a band of lusty
+archers such as all England could not elsewhere match.</p>
+
+<p>"Faith o' my body, the hours pass apace," quoth Little John, looking
+upward through the trees. "Is it not time we should dine?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am not in the mood to dine without company," said Robin. "Our table
+is a dull one without guests. If we had now some bold baron or fat
+abbot, or even a knight or squire, to help us carve<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> our haunch of
+venison, and to pay his scot for the feast, I wot me all our appetites
+would be better."</p>
+
+<p>He laughed meaningly as he looked round the circle of faces.</p>
+
+<p>"Marry, if such be your whim," answered Little John, "tell us whither we
+shall go to find a guest fit to grace our greenwood table, and of what
+rank he shall be."</p>
+
+<p>"At least let him not be farmer or yeoman," said Robin. "We war on
+hawks, not on doves. If you can bring me a bishop now, or i' faith, the
+high-sheriff of Nottingham, we shall dine merrily. Take Much and
+Scathelock with you, and away. Bring me earl or baron, abbot or simple
+knight, or squire, if no better can be had; the fatter their purses the
+better shall be their welcome."</p>
+
+<p>Taking their bows, the three yeomen strode at a brisk pace through the
+forest, bent upon other game than deer or antlered stag. On reaching the
+forest edge near Barnsdale, they lurked in the bushy shadows and kept
+close watch and ward upon the highway that there skirted the wood, in
+hope of finding a rich relish to Robin's meal.</p>
+
+<p>Propitious fortune seemed to aid their quest. Not long had they bided in
+ambush when, afar on the road, they spied a knight riding towards them.
+He came alone, without squire or follower, and promised to be an easy
+prey to the trio of stout woodsmen. But as he came near they saw that
+something was amiss with him. He rode with one foot in the stirrup, the
+other hanging loose; a sim<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>ple hood covered his head, and hung
+negligently down over his eyes; grief or despair filled his visage, "a
+soryer man than he rode never in somer's day."</p>
+
+<p>Little John stepped into the road, courteously bent his knee to the
+stranger, and bade him welcome to the greenwood.</p>
+
+<p>"Welcome be you, gentle knight," he said; "my master has awaited you
+fasting, these three hours."</p>
+
+<p>"Your master&mdash;who is he?" asked the knight, lifting his sad eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Robin Hood, the forest chief," answered Little John.</p>
+
+<p>"And a lusty yeoman he," said the knight. "Men say much good of him. I
+thought to dine to-day at Blythe or Dankaster, but if jolly Robin wants
+me I am his man. It matters little, save that I have no heart to do
+justice to any man's good cheer. Lead on, my courteous friend. The
+greenwood, then, shall be my dining-hall."</p>
+
+<p>Our scene now changes to the lodge of the woodland chief. An hour had
+passed. A merry scene met the eye. The long table was well covered with
+game of the choicest, swan, pheasants, and river fowl, and with roasts
+and steaks of venison, which had been on hoof not many hours before.
+Around it sat a jolly company of foresters, green-clad like the trees
+about them. At its head sat Robin Hood, his handsome face lending
+encouragement to the laughter and gleeful chat of his men. Beside him
+sat the knight, sober of attire, gloomy of face, yet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> brightening under
+the courteous treatment of his host and the gay sallies of the outlaw
+band.</p>
+
+<p>"Gramercy, Sir Woodman," said the knight, when the feast was at an end,
+"such a dinner as you have set me I have not tasted for weeks. When I
+come again to this country I hope to repay you with as good a one."</p>
+
+<p>"A truce to your dinner," said Robin, curtly. "All that dine in our
+woodland inn pay on the spot, Sir Knight. It is a good rule, I wot."</p>
+
+<p>"To full hands, mayhap," said the knight; "but I dare not, for very
+shame, proffer you what is in my coffers."</p>
+
+<p>"Is it so little, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ten shillings is not wealth," said the knight. "I can offer you no
+more."</p>
+
+<p>"Faith, if that be all, keep it, in God's name; and I'll lend you more,
+if you be in need. Go look, Little John; we take no stranger's word in
+the greenwood."</p>
+
+<p>John examined the knight's effects, and reported that he had told the
+truth. Robin gazed curiously at his guest.</p>
+
+<p>"I held you for a knight of high estate," he said. "A heedless
+husbandman you must have been, a gambler or wassailer, to have brought
+yourself to this sorry pass. An empty pocket and threadbare attire ill
+befit a knight of your parts."</p>
+
+<p>"You wrong me, Robin," said the knight, sadly. "Misfortune, not sin, has
+beggared me. I have nothing left but my children and my wife; but it is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>
+through no deed of my own. My son&mdash;my heir he should have been&mdash;slew a
+knight of Lancashire and his squire. To save him from the law I have
+made myself a beggar. Even my lands and house must go, for I have
+pledged them to the abbot of St. Mary as surety for four hundred pounds
+loaned me. I cannot pay him, and the time is near its end. I have lost
+hope, good sir, and am on my way to the sea, to take ship for the Holy
+Land. Pardon my tears, I leave a wife and children."</p>
+
+<p>"Where are your friends?" asked Robin.</p>
+
+<p>"Where are the last year's leaves of your trees?" asked the knight.
+"They were fair enough while the summer sun shone; they dropped from me
+when the winter of trouble came."</p>
+
+<p>"Can you not borrow the sum?" asked Robin. "Not a groat," answered the
+knight. "I have no more credit than a beggar."</p>
+
+<p>"Mayhap not with the usurers," said Robin. "But the greenwood is not
+quite bare, and your face, Sir Knight, is your pledge of faith. Go to my
+treasury, Little John, and see if it will not yield four hundred
+pounds."</p>
+
+<p>"I can promise you that, and more if need be," answered the woodman.
+"But our worthy knight is poorly clad, and we have rich cloths to spare,
+I wot. Shall we not add a livery to his purse?"</p>
+
+<p>"As you will, good fellow, and forget not a horse, for our guest's mount
+is of the sorriest."</p>
+
+<p>The knight's sorrow gave way to hope as he saw the eagerness, of the
+generous woodmen. Little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> John's count of the money added ample
+interest; the cloths were measured with a bow-stick for a yard, and a
+palfrey was added to the courser, to bear their welcome gifts. In the
+end Robin lent him Little John for a squire, and gave him twelve months
+in which to repay his loan. Away he went, no longer a knight of rueful
+countenance.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Nowe as the knight went on his way,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">This game he thought full good,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">When he looked on Bernysdale</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He blyssed Robin Hode;</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"And when he thought on Bernysdale,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">On Scathelock, Much, and John,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He blyssed them for the best company</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">That ever he in come."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>The next day was that fixed for the payment of the loan to the abbot of
+St. Mary's. Abbot and prior waited in hope and excitement. If the cash
+was not paid by night a rich estate would fall into their hands. The
+knight must pay to the last farthing, or be beggared. As they sat
+awaiting the cellarer burst in upon them, full of exultation.</p>
+
+<p>"He is dead or hanged!" he cried. "We shall have our four hundred pounds
+many times over."</p>
+
+<p>With them were the high-justice of England and the sheriff of the shire,
+brought there to give the proceeding the warrant of legality. Time was
+passing, an hour or two more would end the knight's grace, only a narrow
+space of time lay between him and beggary. The justice had just turned
+with con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>gratulations to the abbot, when, to the discomfiture of the
+churchmen, the debtor, Sir Richard of the Lee, appeared at the gate of
+the abbey, and made his way into the hall.</p>
+
+<p>Yet he was shabbily clad; his face was sombre; there seemed little
+occasion for alarm. There seemed none when he began to speak.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir Abbot," he said, "I come to hold my day."</p>
+
+<p>"Hast thou brought my pay?" asked the abbot.</p>
+
+<p>"Not one penny," answered the knight.</p>
+
+<p>"Thou art a shrewd debtor," declared the abbot, with a look of
+satisfaction. "Sir Justice, drink to me. What brings you here then,
+sirrah, if you fetch no money?"</p>
+
+<p>"To pray your grace for a longer day," said Sir Richard, humbly.</p>
+
+<p>"Your day is ended; not an hour more do you get," cried the abbot.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Richard now appealed to the justice for relief, and after him to the
+sheriff, but to both in vain. Then, turning to the abbot again, he
+offered to be his servant, and work for him till the four hundred pounds
+were earned, if he would take pity on him.</p>
+
+<p>This appeal was lost on the merciless churchman. In the end hot words
+passed, and the abbot angrily exclaimed,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Out of my hall, thou false knight! Speed thee out, sirrah!"</p>
+
+<p>"Abbot, thou liest, I was never false to my word," said Sir Richard,
+proudly. "You lack courtesy, to suffer a knight to kneel and beg so
+long. I am a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> true knight and a true man, as all who have seen me in
+tournament or battle will say."</p>
+
+<p>"What more will you give the knight for a full release?" asked the
+justice. "If you give nothing, you will never hold his lands in peace."</p>
+
+<p>"A hundred pounds," said the abbot.</p>
+
+<p>"Give him two," said the justice.</p>
+
+<p>"Not so," cried the knight. "If you make it a thousand more, not a foot
+of my land shall you ever hold. You have outwitted yourself, master
+abbot, by your greed."</p>
+
+<p>Sir Richard's humility was gone; his voice was clear and proud; the
+churchmen trembled, here was a new tone. Turning to a table, the knight
+took a bag from under his cloak, and shook out of it on to the board a
+ringing heap of gold.</p>
+
+<p>"Here is the gold you lent me, Sir Abbot," he cried. "Count it. You will
+find it four hundred pounds to the penny. Had you been courteous, I
+would have been generous. As it is, I pay not a penny over my due."</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"The abbot sat styll, and ete no more</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">For all his ryall chere;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He cast his head on his sholder,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And fast began to stare."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>So ended this affair, the abbot in despair, the knight in triumph, the
+justice laughing at his late friends and curtly refusing to return the
+cash they had paid to bring him there. His money counted, his release
+signed, the knight was a glad man again.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span><br /><br /></p>
+
+
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"The knight stert out of the dore,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Awaye was all his care,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And on he put his good clothynge,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">The other he lefte there.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"He wente hym forthe full mery syngynge,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">As men have tolde in tale,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">His lady met hym at the gate,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">At home in Wierysdale.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Welcome, my lorde,' sayd his lady;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">'Syr, lost is all your good?'</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">'Be mery dame,' said the knight,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">'And pray for Robyn Hode,</span><br />
+<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"That ever his soule be in blysse,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He holpe me out of my tene;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ne had not be his kyndenesse,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Beggers had we ben.'"</span><br /><br /><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>The story wanders on, through pages of verse like the above, but we may
+fitly end it with a page of prose. The old singers are somewhat prolix;
+it behooves us to be brief.</p>
+
+<p>A twelvemonth passed. The day fixed by the knight to repay his friend of
+the merry greenwood came. On that day the highway skirting the forest
+was made brilliant by a grand array of ecclesiastics and their
+retainers, at their head no less a personage than the fat cellarer of
+St. Mary's.</p>
+
+<p>Unluckily for them, the outlaws were out that day, on the lookout for
+game of this description, and the whole pious procession was swept up
+and taken to Robin Hood's greenwood court. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> merry fellow looked at
+his new guests with a smile. The knight had given the Virgin as his
+security,&mdash;surely the Virgin had taken him at his word, and sent these
+holy men to repay her debt.</p>
+
+<p>In vain the high cellarer denied that he represented any such exalted
+personage. He even lied as to the state of his coffers. It was a lie
+wasted, for Little John served him as he had the knight, and found a
+good eight hundred pounds in the monk's baggage.</p>
+
+<p>"Fill him with wine of the best!" cried Robin. "Our Lady is a generous
+debtor. She pays double. Fill him with wine and let him go. He has paid
+well for his dinner."</p>
+
+<p>Hardly had the monk and his train gone, in dole and grief, before
+another and merrier train was seen winding under the great oaks of the
+forest. It was the knight on his way to pay his debt. After him rode a
+hundred men clad in white and red, and bearing as a present to the
+delighted foresters a hundred bows of the finest quality, each with its
+sheaf of arrows, with burnished points, peacock feathers, and notched
+with silver. Each shaft was an ell long.</p>
+
+<p>The knight begged pardon. He had been delayed. On his way he had met a
+poor yeoman who was being ill-treated. He had stayed to rescue him. The
+sun was down; the hour passed; but he bore his full due to the generous
+lords of the greenwood.</p>
+
+<p>"You come too late," said Robin. "The Virgin, your surety, has been
+before you and paid your<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> debt. The holy monks of St. Mary, her
+almoners, have brought it. They paid well, indeed; they paid double.
+Four hundred is my due, the other four hundred is yours. Take it, my
+good friend, our Lady sends it, and dwell henceforth in a state
+befitting your knightly station."</p>
+
+<p>Once more the good knight, Sir Richard of the Lee, dined with Robin
+Hood, and merry went the feast that day under the greenwood tree. The
+leaves of Sherwood still laugh with the mirth that then shook their
+bowery arches. Robin Hood dwells there no more, but the memory of the
+mighty archer and his merry men still haunts the woodland glades, and
+will while a lover of romance dwells in England's island realm.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>WALLACE, THE HERO OF SCOTLAND.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>On a summer's day, many centuries ago, a young gentleman of Scotland was
+fishing in the river Irvine, near Ayr, attended by a boy who carried his
+fishing-basket. The young man was handsome of face, tall of figure, and
+strongly built, while his skill as an angler was attested by the number
+of trout which lay in the boy's basket. While he was thus engaged
+several English soldiers, from the garrison of Ayr, came up to the
+angler, and with the insolence with which these invaders were then in
+the habit of treating the Scotch, insisted on taking the basket and its
+contents from the boy.</p>
+
+<p>"You ask too much," said Wallace, quietly. "You are welcome to a part of
+the fish, but you cannot have them all."</p>
+
+<p>"That we will," answered the soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>"That you will not," retorted the youth. "I have other business than to
+play fisherman for your benefit."</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers insisted, and attempted to take the basket. The angler came
+to the aid of his attendant. Words were followed by blows. The soldiers
+laid hands on their weapons. The youth had no weapon but his
+fishing-rod. But with the butt end of this he struck the foremost
+Englishman so hard<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> a blow under his ear that he stretched him dead upon
+the ground. Seizing the man's sword, which had fallen from his hand, he
+attacked the others with such skill and fury that they were put to
+flight, and the bold angler was enabled to take his fish safely home.</p>
+
+<p>The name of the courageous youth was William Wallace. He was the son of
+a private gentleman, called Wallace of Ellerslie, who had brought up his
+boy to the handling of warlike weapons, until he had grown an adept in
+their use; and also to a hatred of the English, which was redoubled by
+the insolence of the soldiers with whom Edward I. of England had
+garrisoned the country. Like all high-spirited Scotchmen, the young man
+viewed with indignation the conduct of the conquerors of his country,
+and expressed the intensity of his feeling in the tragical manner above
+described.</p>
+
+<p>Wallace's life was in imminent danger from his exploit. The affair was
+reported to the English governor of Ayr, who sought him diligently, and
+would have put him to death had he been captured. But he took to the
+hills and woods, and lay concealed in their recesses until the deed was
+forgotten, being supplied by his friends with the necessaries of life.
+As it was not safe to return to Ayr after his period of seclusion, he
+made his way to another part of the country, where his bitter hostility
+to the English soon led him into other encounters with them, in which
+his strength, skill, and courage usually brought him off victorious. So
+many were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> the affairs in which he was engaged, and so great his daring
+and success, that the people began to talk of him as the champion of
+Scotland, while the English grew to fear this indomitable young
+swordsman.</p>
+
+<p>At length came an adventure which brought matters to a crisis. Young
+Wallace had married a lady of Lanark, and had taken up his residence in
+that town with his wife. The place had an English garrison, and one day,
+as Wallace walked in the market-place in a rich green dress, with a
+handsome dagger by his side, an Englishman accosted him insultingly,
+saying that no Scotchman had the right to wear such finery or to carry
+so showy a weapon.</p>
+
+<p>He had tried his insolence on the wrong man. A quarrel quickly followed,
+and, as on similar occasions before, Wallace killed the Englishman. It
+was an unwise act, inspired by his hasty temper and fiery indignation.
+His peril was great. He hastened to his house, which was quickly
+attacked by soldiers of the garrison. While they were seeking to break
+in at the front, Wallace escaped at the rear, and made his way to a
+rocky glen, called the Cortland-crags, near the town, where he found a
+secure hiding-place among its thick-growing trees and bushes.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the governor of Lanark, Hazelrigg by name, finding that the
+culprit had escaped, set fire to his house, and with uncalled-for
+cruelty put his wife and servants to death. He also proclaimed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> Wallace
+an outlaw, and offered a reward for any one who should bring him in,
+dead or alive. He and many of his countrymen were destined to pay the
+penalty of this cruel deed before Wallace should fall into English
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>The murder of his wife set fire to the intense patriotism in Wallace's
+soul. He determined to devote his life to acts of reprisal against the
+enemy, and if possible to rescue his country from English hands. He soon
+had under his command a body of daring partisans, some of them outlaws
+like himself, others quite willing to become such for the good of
+Scotland. The hills and forests of the country afforded them numerous
+secure hiding-places, whence they could issue in raids upon the insolent
+foe.</p>
+
+<p>From that time forward Wallace gave the English no end of trouble. One
+of his first expeditions was against Hazelrigg, to whom he owed so
+bitter a debt of vengeance. The cruel governor was killed, and the
+murdered woman avenged. Other expeditions were attempted, and collisions
+with the soldiers sent against him became so frequent and the partisan
+band so successful, that Wallace quickly grew famous, and the number of
+his followers rapidly increased. In time, from being a band of outlaws,
+his party grew to the dimensions of a small army, and in place of
+contenting himself with local reprisals on the English, he cherished the
+design of striking for the independence of his country.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The most notable adventure which followed this increase of Wallace's
+band is one the story of which may be in part legendary, but which is
+significant of the cruelty of warfare in those thirteenth-century days.
+It is remembered among the Scottish people under the name of the "Barns
+of Ayr."</p>
+
+<p>The English governor of Ayr is said to have sent a general invitation to
+the nobility and gentry of that section of Scotland to meet him in
+friendly conference on national affairs. The place fixed for the meeting
+was in certain large buildings called the barns of Ayr. The true purpose
+of the governor was a murderous one. He proposed to rid himself of many
+of those who were giving him trouble by the effective method of the
+rope. Halters with running nooses had been prepared, and hung upon the
+beams which supported the roof. The Scotch visitors were admitted two at
+a time, and as they entered the nooses were thrown over their heads, and
+they drawn up and hanged. Among those thus slain was Sir Reginald
+Crawford, sheriff of the county of Ayr, and uncle to William Wallace.</p>
+
+<p>This story it is not easy to believe, in the exact shape in which it is
+given, since it is unlikely that the Scottish nobles were such fools as
+it presupposes; but that it is founded on some tragical fact is highly
+probable. The same is the case with the story of Wallace's retribution
+for this crime. When the news of it came to his ears he is said to have
+been greatly incensed, and to have determined on an adequate revenge. He
+collected his men in a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> wood near. Ayr, and sent out spies to learn the
+state of affairs. The English had followed their crime with a period of
+carousing, and, having eaten and drunk all they wished, had lain down to
+sleep in the barns in which the Scotch gentry had been murdered. Not
+dreaming that a foe was so near, they had set no guards, and thus left
+themselves open to the work of revenge.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img141.jpg"
+             alt="THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING." /><br />
+         <b>THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>This news being brought to Wallace, he directed a woman, who was
+familiar with the locality, to mark with chalk the doors of the
+buildings where the Englishmen lay. Then, slipping up to the borders of
+Ayr, he sent a party with ropes, bidding them to fasten securely all the
+marked doors. This done, others heaped straw on the outside of the
+buildings and set it on fire. The buildings, being constructed of wood,
+were quickly in a flame, the English waking from their drunken slumbers
+to find themselves environed with fire.</p>
+
+<p>Their fate was decided. Every entrance to the buildings had been
+secured. Such as did succeed in getting out were driven back into the
+flames, or killed on the spot. The whole party perished miserably, not
+one escaping. In addition to the English thus disposed of, there were a
+number lodged in a convent. These were attacked by the prior and the
+monks, who had armed themselves with swords, and fiercely assailed their
+guests, few of them escaped. The latter event is known as "The Friar of
+Ayr's Blessing."</p>
+
+<p>Such is the story of a crime and its retribution.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> To say that it is
+legendary is equivalent to saying that it is not true in all its
+particulars; but that it is founded on fact its common acceptance by the
+people of that country seems evidence.</p>
+
+<p>So far the acts of Wallace and his men had been of minor importance. But
+now his party of followers grew into an army, many of the Scottish
+nobles joining him. Prominent among these was Sir William Douglas, the
+head of the most famous family in Scottish history. Another was Sir John
+Grahame, who became the chief friend and confident of the champion of
+the rights of Scotland.</p>
+
+<p>This rebellious activity on the part of the Scotch had not been viewed
+with indifference by the English. The raids of Wallace and his band of
+outlaws they had left the local garrisons to deal with. But here was an
+army, suddenly sprung into existence, and needing to be handled in a
+different manner. An English army, under the command of John de Warenne,
+the Earl of Surrey, marched towards Wallace's camp, with the purpose of
+putting a summary end to this incipient effort at independence.</p>
+
+<p>The approach of Warenne weakened Wallace's army, since many of the
+nobles deserted his ranks, under the fear that he could not withstand
+the greatly superior English force. Yet, in spite of these defections,
+he held his ground. He still had a considerable force under his command,
+and took position near the town of Stirling, on the south side of the
+river Forth, where he awaited the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> approaching English army. The river
+was at this point crossed by a long wooden bridge.</p>
+
+<p>The English host reached the southern bank of the river. Its commander,
+thinking that he might end the matter in a peaceful way, sent two
+clergy-men to Wallace, offering a pardon to him and his followers if
+they would lay down their arms.</p>
+
+<p>"Go back to Warenne," was the reply of Wallace, "and tell him we value
+not the pardon of the king of England. We are not here for the purpose
+of treating of peace, but of abiding battle, and restoring freedom to
+our country. Let the English come on; we defy them to their very
+beards!"</p>
+
+<p>Despite the disparity in numbers, Wallace had some warrant for his tone
+of confidence. The English could not reach him except over the long and
+narrow bridge, and stood the chance of having their vanguard destroyed
+before the remainder could come to their aid.</p>
+
+<p>Such proved to be the case. The English, after some hesitation,
+attempted the passage of the bridge. Wallace held off until about half
+the army had crossed and the bridge was thickly crowded with others.
+Then he charged upon them with his whole force, and with such
+impetuosity that they were thrown into confusion, and soon put to rout,
+a large number being slain and the remainder driven into the Forth,
+where the greater part of them were drowned. The portion of the English
+army which had not crossed became infected with the panic<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> of their
+fellows, and fled in all haste, first setting fire to the bridge to
+prevent pursuit.</p>
+
+<p>This signal victory had the most encouraging influence on the people of
+Scotland. The defeated army fled in all haste from the country, and
+those of the Scotch who had hitherto remained in doubt now took arms,
+and assailed the castles still held by the English. Many of these were
+taken, and numerous gallant deeds done, of which Wallace is credited
+with his full share. How much exaggeration there may be in the stories
+told it is not easy to say, but it seems certain that the English
+suffered several defeats, lost most of the towns and castles they had
+held, and were driven almost entirely from the country. Wallace, indeed,
+led his army into England, and laid waste Cumberland and Northumberland,
+where many cruelties were committed, the Scottish soldiers being
+irrepressible in their thirst for revenge on those who had so long
+oppressed their country.</p>
+
+<p>While these events were going on Edward I. was in Flanders. He had
+deemed Scotland thoroughly subjugated, and learned with surprise and
+fury that the Scottish had risen against him, defeated his armies, set
+free their country, and even invaded England. He hurried back from
+Flanders in a rage, determined to bring this rebellion to a short and
+decisive termination.</p>
+
+<p>Collecting a large army, Edward invaded Scotland. His opponent,
+meanwhile, had been made protector, or governor, of Scotland, with the
+title<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> of Sir William Wallace. Yet he had risen so rapidly from a
+private station to this great position that there was much jealousy of
+him on the part of the great nobles, and their lack of support of the
+best soldier and bravest man of their nation was the main cause of his
+downfall and the subsequent disasters to their country.</p>
+
+<p>Wallace, despite their defection, had assembled a considerable army. But
+it was not so strong as that of Edward, who had, besides, a large body
+of the celebrated archers of England, each of whom carried, so it was
+claimed, twelve Scotchmen's lives in his girdle,&mdash;in his twelve
+cloth-yard arrows.</p>
+
+<p>The two armies met at Falkirk. Wallace, before the fighting began,
+addressed his men in a pithy sentence: "I have brought you to the ring,
+let me see how you can dance." The battle opened with a charge of the
+English cavalry on the dense ranks of the Scottish infantry, who were
+armed with long spears which they held so closely together that their
+line seemed impregnable. The English horsemen found it so. They
+attempted again and again to break through that "wood of spears," as it
+has been called, but were every time beaten off with loss. But the
+Scotch horse failed to support their brave footmen. On the contrary,
+they fled from the field, through ill-will or treachery of the nobles,
+as is supposed.</p>
+
+<p>Edward now ordered his archers to advance. They did so, and poured their
+arrows upon the Scottish ranks in such close and deadly volleys that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>
+flesh and blood could not endure it. Wallace had also a body of archers,
+from Ettrick forest, but they were attacked in their advance and many of
+them slain. The English cavalry now again charged. They met with a
+different reception from their previous one. The storm of arrows had
+thrown Wallace's infantry into confusion, the line was broken at several
+points, and the horsemen charged into their midst, cutting them down in
+great numbers. Sir John Grahame and others of their leaders were slain,
+and the Scotch, their firm ranks broken and many of them slain, at
+length took to flight.</p>
+
+<p>It was on the 22d of July, 1298, that this decisive battle took place.
+Its event put an end, for the time, to the hopes of Scottish
+independence. Opposition to Edward's army continued, and some successes
+were gained, but the army of invasion was abundantly reinforced, until
+in the end Wallace alone, at the head of a small band of followers,
+remained in arms.</p>
+
+<p>After all others had yielded, he persistently refused to submit to
+Edward and his armies. As he had been the first to take arms, he was the
+last to keep the field, and for some years he continued to maintain
+himself among the woods and hills of the Highlands, holding his own for
+more than a year after all the other chiefs had surrendered.</p>
+
+<p>Edward was determined not to leave him at liberty. He feared the
+influence of this one man more than of all the nobles of Scotland, and
+pursued<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> him unremittingly, a great price being offered for his head. At
+length the gallant champion was captured, a Scotchman, Sir John
+Menteith, earning obloquy by the act. The story goes that the capture
+was made at Robroyston, near Glasgow, the fugitive champion being taken
+by treachery, the signal for rushing upon him and taking him unawares
+being for one of the company to turn a loaf, which lay upon the table,
+with its bottom side uppermost. In after-days it was considered very
+ill-breeding for any one to turn a loaf in this manner, if a person
+named Menteith were at table.</p>
+
+<p>However this be, it is certain that Wallace was taken and delivered to
+his great enemy, and no less certain that he was treated with barbarous
+harshness. He was placed on trial at Westminster Hall, on the charge of
+being a traitor to the English crown, and Edward, to insult him, had him
+crowned with a green garland, as one who had been king of outlaws and
+robbers in the Scottish woods.</p>
+
+<p>"I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject," was
+the chieftain's answer to the charge against him.</p>
+
+<p>He was then accused of taking many towns and castles, killing many men,
+and doing much violence.</p>
+
+<p>"It is true I have killed many Englishmen," replied Wallace, "but it was
+because they came to oppress my native country. Far from repenting of
+this, I am only sorry not to have put to death many more of them."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Wallace's defence was a sound one, but Edward had prejudged him. He was
+condemned and executed, his body being quartered, in the cruel fashion
+of that time, and the parts exposed on spikes on London bridge, as the
+limbs of a traitor. Thus died a hero, at the command of a tyrant.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>BRUCE AT BANNOCKBURN.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>To Edward the Second, lying in luxurious idleness in his palace of
+pleasure at London, came the startling word that he must strike a blow
+or lose a kingdom. Scotland was slipping from his weak grasp. Of that
+great realm, won by the iron hand of his father, only one stronghold was
+left to England&mdash;Stirling Castle, and that was fiercely besieged by
+Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, who some years before had been
+crowned King of Scotland and was now seeking to drive the English out of
+his realm.</p>
+
+<p>The tidings that came to Edward were these. Sir Philip Mowbray, governor
+of Stirling, hotly pressed by Bruce, and seeing no hope of succor, had
+agreed to deliver the town and castle to the Scotch, unless relief
+reached him before midsummer. Bruce stopped not the messengers. He let
+them speed to London with the tidings, willing, doubtless, in his bold
+heart, to try it once for all with the English king, and win all or lose
+all at a blow.</p>
+
+<p>The news stirred feebly the weak heart of Edward,&mdash;lapped in delights,
+and heedless of kingdoms. It stirred strongly the vigorous hearts of the
+English nobility, men who had marched to victory under the banners of
+the iron Edward, and who burned with impatience at the inglorious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> ease
+of his silken son. The great deeds of Edward I. should not go for
+naught, they declared. He had won Scotland; his son should not lose it.
+Robert Bruce, the rebel chief, had been left alone until he had gathered
+an army and nearly made Scotland his own. Only Stirling remained; it
+would be to the endless disgrace of England should it be abandoned, and
+the gallant Mowbray left without support. An army must be gathered,
+Bruce must be beaten, Scotland must be won.</p>
+
+<p>Like the cry of a pack of sleuth-hounds in the ear of the timid deer
+came these stern demands to Edward the king. He dared not disregard
+them. It might be as much as his crown were worth. England meant
+business, and its king must take the lead or he might be asked to yield
+the throne. Stirred alike by pride and fear, he roused from his
+lethargy, gave orders that an army should be gathered, and vowed to
+drive the beleaguering Scots from before Stirling's walls.</p>
+
+<p>From every side they came, the marching troops. England, hot with
+revengeful blood, mustered its quota in haste. Wales and Ireland, new
+appendages of the English throne, supplied their share. From the French
+provinces of the kingdom hosts of eager men-at-arms flocked across the
+Channel. All the great nobles and the barons of the realm led their
+followers, equipped for war, to the mustering-place, until a force of
+one hundred thousand men was ready for the field, perhaps the largest
+army which had ever marched under an English<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> king. In this great array
+were thirty thousand horsemen. It looked as if Scotland were doomed.
+Surely that sterile land could raise no force to face this great array!</p>
+
+<p>King Robert the Bruce did his utmost to prepare for the storm of war
+which threatened to break upon his realm. In all haste he summoned his
+barons and nobles from far and near. From the Highlands and the Lowlands
+they came, from island and mainland flocked the kilted and tartaned
+Scotch, but, when all were gathered, they numbered not a third the host
+of their foes, and were much more poorly armed. But at their head was
+the most expert military chief of that day, since the death of Edward I.
+the greatest warrior that Europe knew. Once again was it to be proved
+that the general is the soul of his army, and that skill and courage are
+a full offset for lack of numbers.</p>
+
+<p>Towards Stirling marched the great English array, confident in their
+numbers, proud of their gallant show. Northward they streamed, filling
+all the roads, the king, at their head, deeming doubtless that he was on
+a holiday excursion, and that behind him came a wind of war that would
+blow the Scotch forces into the sea. Around Stirling gathered the army
+of the Bruce, marching in haste from hill and dale, coming in to the
+stirring peal of the pipes and the old martial airs of the land, until
+the plain around the beleaguered town seemed a living sea of men, and
+the sunlight burned on endless points of steel.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But Bruce had no thought of awaiting the onset here. He well knew that
+he must supply by skill what he lacked in numbers. The English army was
+far superior to his, not only in men, but in its great host of cavalry,
+which alone equalled his entire force, and in its multitude of archers,
+the best bowmen in the world. What he lacked in men and arms he must
+make up in brains. With this in view, he led his army from before the
+town into a neighboring plain, called the Park, where nature had
+provided means of defence of which he might avail himself.</p>
+
+<p>The ground which his army here occupied was hard and dry. That in front
+of it, through which Edward's host must pass, was wet and boggy, cut up
+with frequent watercourses, and ill-fitted for cavalry. Should the
+heavy-armed horsemen succeed in crossing this marshy and broken ground
+and reach the firm soil in the Scottish front, they would find
+themselves in a worse strait still. For Bruce had his men dig a great
+number of holes as deep as a man's knee. These were covered with light
+brush, and the turf spread evenly over them, so that the honeycombed
+soil looked to the eye like an unbroken field. Elsewhere on the plain he
+scattered calthrops&mdash;steel spikes&mdash;to lame the English horses. Smooth
+and promising looked the field, but the English cavalry were likely to
+find it a plain of pitfalls and steel points.</p>
+
+<p>While thus defending his front, Bruce had given as skilful heed to the
+defence of his flanks. On the left his line reached to the walls of
+Stirling. On the right it touched the banks of Bannockburn, a brook that
+ran between borders so rocky as to prevent attack from that quarter.
+Here, on the 23d of June, 1314, was posted the Scottish army, awaiting
+the coming of the foe, the camp-followers, cart-drivers, and other
+useless material of the army being sent back behind a hill,&mdash;afterwards
+known as the gillies' or servants' hill,&mdash;that they might be out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> of the
+way. They were to play a part in the coming fray of which Bruce did not
+dream.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img153.jpg"
+             alt="STIRLING CASTLE." /><br />
+         <b>STIRLING CASTLE.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>Thus prepared, Bruce reviewed his force, and addressed them in stirring
+words. The battle would be victory or death to him, he said. He hoped it
+would be to all. If any among them did not propose to fight to the
+bitter end and take victory or death, as God should decree, for his lot,
+now was the time to withdraw; all such might leave the field before the
+battle began. Not a man left.</p>
+
+<p>Fearing that the English might try to throw a force into Stirling
+Castle, the king posted his nephew Randolph with a body of men near St.
+Ninian's church. Lord Douglas and Sir Robert Keith were sent to survey
+and report upon the English force, which was marching from Falkirk. They
+returned with tidings to make any but stout hearts quiver. Such an army
+as was coming they had never seen before; it was a beautiful but a
+terrible sight, the approach of that mighty host. The whole country, as
+far as the eye could see, was crowded with men on horse or on foot.
+Never had they beheld such a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> grand display of standards, banners, and
+pennons. So gallant and fearful a show was it all, that the bravest host
+in Christendom might well tremble to see King Edward's army marching
+upon them. Such was the story told by Douglas, though his was not the
+heart to tremble in the telling.</p>
+
+<p>Bruce was soon to see this great array of horse and foot for himself. On
+they came, filling the country far and near with their numbers. But
+before they had come in view, another sight met the vigilant eyes of the
+Scottish king. To the eastward there became visible a body of English
+horse, riding at speed, and seeking to reach Stirling from that quarter.
+Bruce turned to his nephew, who stood beside him.</p>
+
+<p>"See, Randolph," he said, "there is a rose fallen from your chaplet."</p>
+
+<p>The English had passed the post which Randolph had been set to guard. He
+heard the rebuke in silence, rode hastily to the head of his men, and
+rushed against the eight hundred English horse with half that number of
+footmen. The English turned to charge this daring force. Randolph drew
+up his men in close order to receive them. It looked as if the Scotch
+would be overwhelmed, and trampled under foot by the powerful foe.</p>
+
+<p>"Randolph is lost!" cried Douglas. "He must have help. Let me go to his
+aid."</p>
+
+<p>"Let Randolph redeem his own fault," answered the king, firmly. "I
+cannot break the order of battle for his sake."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Douglas looked on, fuming with impatience. The danger seemed more
+imminent. The small body of Scotch foot almost vanished from sight in
+the cloud of English horsemen. The glittering lances appeared about to
+annihilate them.</p>
+
+<p>"So please you," said Douglas, "my heart will not suffer me to stand
+idle and see Randolph perish, I must go to his assistance."</p>
+
+<p>The king made no answer. Douglas spurred to the head of his troop, and
+rode off at speed. He neared the scene of conflict. Suddenly a change
+came. The horsemen appeared confused. Panic seemed to have stricken
+their ranks. In a moment away they went, in full flight, many of the
+horses with empty saddles, while the gallant troop of Scotch stood
+unmoved.</p>
+
+<p>"Halt!" cried Douglas. "Randolph has gained the day. Since we are not
+soon enough to help him in the battle, do not let us lessen his glory by
+approaching the field." And the noble knight pulled rein and galloped
+back, unwilling to rob Randolph of any of the honor of his deed.</p>
+
+<p>The English vanguard was now in sight. From it rode out a number of
+knights, eager to see the Scotch array more nearly. King Robert did the
+same. He was in armor, but was poorly mounted, riding only a little
+pony, with which he moved up and down the front of his army, putting his
+men in order. A golden crown worn over his helmet was his sole mark of
+distinction. The only weapon he carried was a steel battle-axe. As the
+English<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> knights came nearer, he advanced a little to have a closer look
+at them.</p>
+
+<p>Here seemed an opportunity for a quick and decisive blow. The Scottish
+king was at some distance in front of his men, his rank indicated by his
+crown, his horse a poor one, his hand empty of a spear. He might be
+ridden down by a sudden onset, victory to the English host be gained by
+a single blow, and great glory come to the bold knight that dealt it.</p>
+
+<p>So thought one of the English knights, Sir Henry de Bohun by name.
+Putting spurs to his powerful horse, he galloped furiously upon the
+king, thinking to bear him easily to the ground. Bruce saw him coming,
+but made no movement of flight. He sat his pony warily, waiting the
+onset, until Bohun was nearly upon him with his spear. Then a quick
+touch to the rein, a sudden movement of the horse, and the lance-point
+sped past, missing its mark.</p>
+
+<p>The Scotch army stood in breathless alarm; the English host in equally
+breathless expectation; it seemed for the moment as if Robert the Bruce
+were lost. But as De Bohun passed him, borne onward by the career of his
+steed, King Robert rose in his stirrups, swung his battle-axe in the
+air, and brought it down on his adversary's head with so terrible a blow
+that the iron helmet cracked as though it were a nutshell, and the
+knight fell from his horse, dead before he reached the ground.</p>
+
+<p>King Robert turned and rode back, where he was met by a storm of
+reproaches from his nobles, who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> declared that he had done grave wrong
+in exposing himself to such danger, when the safety of the army depended
+on him. The king heard their reproaches in silence, his eyes fixed on
+the fractured edge of his weapon.</p>
+
+<p>"I have broken my good battle-axe," was his only reply.</p>
+
+<p>This incident ended the day. Night was at hand. Both armies rested on
+the field. But at an early hour of the next day, the 24th of June, the
+battle began, one of the critical battles of history.</p>
+
+<p>Through the Scottish ranks walked barefooted the abbot of Inchaffray,
+exhorting the men to fight their best for freedom. The soldiers kneeled
+as he passed.</p>
+
+<p>"They kneel down!" cried King Edward, who saw this. "They are asking
+forgiveness!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said a baron beside him, "but they ask it from God, not from us.
+These men will conquer, or die upon the field."</p>
+
+<p>The battle began with a flight of English arrows. The archers, drawn up
+in close ranks, bent their bows, and poured their steel shafts as
+thickly as snow-flakes on the Scotch, many of whom were slain. Something
+must be done, and that speedily, or those notable bowmen would end the
+battle of themselves. Flesh and blood could not long bear that rain of
+cloth-yard shafts, with their points of piercing steel.</p>
+
+<p>But Bruce had prepared for this danger. A body of well-mounted
+men-at-arms stood ready, and at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> the word of command rushed at full
+gallop upon the archers, cutting them down to right and left. Having no
+weapons but their bows and arrows, the archers broke and fled in utter
+confusion, hundreds of them being slain.</p>
+
+<p>This charge of the Scotch cavalry was followed by an advance in force of
+the English horsemen, who came forward in such close and serried ranks
+and with so vast an array that it looked as if they would overwhelm the
+narrow lines before them. But suddenly trouble came upon this mighty
+mass of knights and men-at-arms. The seemingly solid earth gave way
+under their horses' feet, and down they went into the hidden pits, the
+horses hurled headlong, the riders flung helplessly upon the ground,
+from which the weight of their armor prevented their rising.</p>
+
+<p>In an instant the Scotch footmen were among them, killing the
+defenceless knights, cutting and slashing among the confused mass of
+horsemen, breaking their fine display into irretrievable disorder. Bruce
+brought up his men in crowding multitudes. Through the English ranks
+they glided, stabbing horses, slaying their iron-clad riders, doubly
+increasing the confusion of that wild whirl of horsemen, whose trim and
+gallant ranks had been thrown into utter disarray.</p>
+
+<p>The English fought as they could, though at serious disadvantage. But
+their numbers were so great that they might have crushed the Scotch
+under their mere weight but for one of these strange<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> chances on which
+the fate of so many battles have depended. As has been said, the Scotch
+camp-followers had been sent back behind a hill. But on seeing that
+their side seemed likely to win the day, this rabble came suddenly
+crowding over the hill, eager for a share in the spoil.</p>
+
+<p>It was a disorderly mob, but to the sorely-pressed English cavalry it
+seemed a new army which the Bruce had held in reserve. Suddenly stricken
+with panic, the horsemen turned and fled, each man for himself, as fast
+as their horses could carry them, the whole army breaking rank and
+rushing back in terror over the ground which they had lately traversed
+in such splendor of appearance and confidence of soul.</p>
+
+<p>After them came the Scotch, cutting, slashing, killing, paving the earth
+with English slain. King Edward put spurs to his horse and fled in all
+haste from the fatal field. A gallant knight, Sir Giles de Argentine,
+who had won glory in Palestine, kept by him till he was out of the
+press. Then he drew rein.</p>
+
+<p>"It is not my custom to fly," he said.</p>
+
+<p>Turning his horse and shouting his war-cry of "Argentine! Argentine!" he
+rushed into the densest ranks of the Scotch, and was quickly killed.</p>
+
+<p>Many others of high rank fell, valiantly fighting, men who knew not the
+meaning of flight. But the bulk of the army was in hopeless panic,
+flying for life, red lines constantly falling before the crimsoned
+claymores of the Scotch, until the very streams ran red with blood.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>King Edward found war less than ever to his royal taste. He fled to
+Stirling Castle and begged admittance.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot grant it, my liege," answered Mowbray. "My compact with the
+Bruce obliges me to surrender the castle to-morrow. If you enter here it
+will be to become prisoner to the Scotch."</p>
+
+<p>Edward turned and continued his flight, his route lying through the
+Torwood. After him came Lord Douglas, with a body of cavalry, pressing
+forward in hot haste. On his way he met a Scotch knight, Sir Lawrence
+Abernethy, with twenty horsemen, riding to join Edward's army.</p>
+
+<p>"Edward's army? He has no army," cried Douglas. "The army is a rout.
+Edward himself is in flight. I am hot on his track."</p>
+
+<p>"I am with you, then," cried Abernethy, changing sides on the instant,
+and joining in pursuit of the king whom he had just before been eager to
+serve.</p>
+
+<p>Away went the frightened king. On came the furious pursuers. Not a
+moment was given Edward to draw rein or alight. The chase was continued
+as far as Dunbar, whose governor, the earl of March, opened his gates to
+the flying king, and shut them against his foes. Giving the forlorn
+monarch a small fishing-vessel, he set him on the seas for England, a
+few distressed attendants alone remaining to him of the splendid army
+with which he had marched to the conquest of Scotland.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended the battle which wrested Scotland<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> from English hands, and
+made Robert Bruce king of the whole country. From the state of an exile,
+hunted with hounds, he had made himself a monarch, and one who soon gave
+the English no little trouble to protect their own borders.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img162.jpg"
+             alt="THE PORT OF CALAIS." /><br />
+         <b>THE PORT OF CALAIS.</b>
+    </div>
+
+
+<h2><i>THE SIEGE OF CALAIS.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Terrible and long-enduring had been the siege of Calais. For a whole
+year it had continued, and still the sturdy citizens held the town.
+Outside was Edward III., with his English host, raging at the obstinacy
+of the French and at his own losses during the siege. Inside was John de
+Vienne, the unyielding governor, and his brave garrison. Outside was
+plenty; inside was famine; between were impregnable walls, which all the
+engines of Edward failed to reduce or surmount. No resource was left the
+English king but time and famine; none was left the garrison but the
+hope of wearying their foes or of relief by their king. The chief foe
+they fought against was starvation, an enemy against whom warlike arms
+were of no avail, whom only stout hearts and inflexible endurance could
+meet; and bravely they faced this frightful foe, those stout citizens of
+Calais.</p>
+
+<p>An excellent harbor had Calais. It had long been the sheltering-place
+for the pirates that preyed on English commerce. But now no ship could
+leave or enter. The English fleet closed the passage by sea; the English
+army blocked all approach by land; the French king, whose great army had
+just been mercilessly slaughtered at Crecy, held aloof, nothing seemed
+to remain for Calais but death or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> surrender, and yet the valiant
+governor held out against his foes.</p>
+
+<p>As the days went on and no relief came he made a census of the town,
+selected seventeen hundred poor and unsoldierly folks, "useless mouths,"
+as he called them, and drove them outside the walls. Happily for them,
+King Edward was just then in a good humor. He gave the starving outcasts
+a good dinner and twopence in money each, and passed them through his
+ranks to make their way whither they would.</p>
+
+<p>More days passed; food grew scarcer; there were more "useless mouths" in
+the town; John de Vienne decided to try this experiment again. Five
+hundred more were thrust from the gates. This time King Edward was not
+in a good humor. He bade his soldiers drive them back at sword's-point.
+The governor refused to admit them into the town. The whole miserable
+multitude died of starvation in sight of both camps. Such were the
+amenities of war in the Middle Ages, and in fact, of war in almost all
+ages, for mercy counts for little when opposed by military exigencies.</p>
+
+<p>A letter was now sent to the French king, Philip de Valois, imploring
+succor. They had eaten, said the governor, their horses, their dogs,
+even the rats and mice; nothing remained but to eat one another.
+Unluckily, the English, not the French, king received this letter, and
+the English host grew more watchful than ever. But Philip de Valois
+needed not letters to tell him of the extrem<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>ity of the garrison; he
+knew it well, and knew as well that haste alone could save him one of
+his fairest towns.</p>
+
+<p>But he had suffered a frightful defeat at Crecy only five days before
+the siege of Calais began. Twelve hundred of his knights and thirty
+thousand of his foot-soldiers&mdash;a number equal to the whole English
+force&mdash;had been slain on the field; thousands of others had been taken
+prisoner; a new army was not easily to be raised. Months passed before
+Philip was able to come to the relief of the beleaguered stronghold. The
+Oriflamme, the sacred banner of the realm, never displayed but in times
+of dire extremity, was at length unfurled to the winds, and from every
+side the great vassels of the kingdom hastened to its support. France,
+ever prolific of men, poured forth her sons until she had another large
+army in the field. In July of 1347, eleven months after the siege began,
+the garrison, weary with long waiting, saw afar from their lookout
+towers the floating banners of France, and beneath them the faintly-seen
+forms of a mighty host.</p>
+
+<p>The glad news spread through the town. The king was coming with a great
+army at his back! Their sufferings had not been in vain; they would soon
+be relieved, and those obstinate English be driven into the sea! Had a
+fleet of bread-ships broken through the blockade, and sailed with waving
+pennons into the harbor, the souls of the garrison could not have been
+more uplifted with joy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Alas! it was a short-lived joy. Not many days elapsed before that great
+host faded before their eyes like a mist under the sun-rays, its banners
+lifting and falling as they slowly vanished into the distance, the gleam
+of its many steel-headed weapons dying out until not a point of light
+remained. Their gladness turned into redoubled misery as they saw
+themselves thus left to their fate; their king, who had marched up with
+such a gallant show of banners and arms, marching away without striking
+a blow. It was hard to believe it; but there they went, and there the
+English lay.</p>
+
+<p>The soil of France had never seen anything quite so ludicrous&mdash;but for
+its tragic side&mdash;as this march of Philip the king. Two roads led to the
+town, but these King Edward, who was well advised of what was coming,
+had taken care to intrench and guard so strongly that it would prove no
+light nor safe matter to force a way through. Philip sent out his spies,
+learned what was before him, and, full of the memory of Crecy, decided
+that it would be too costly an experiment to attack those works. But
+were not those the days of chivalry? was not Edward famed for his
+chivalrous spirit? Surely he, as a noble and puissant knight, would not
+take an unfair advantage of his adversary. As a knight of renown he
+could not refuse to march into the open field, and trust to God and St.
+George of England for his defence, as against God and St. Denys of
+France.</p>
+
+<p>Philip, thereupon, sent four of his principal lords<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> to the English
+king, saying that he was there to do battle, as knight against knight,
+but <i>could find no way to come to him</i>. He requested, therefore, that a
+council should meet to fix upon a place of battle, where the difference
+between him and his cousin of England might be fairly decided.</p>
+
+<p>Surely such a request had never before been made to an opposing general.
+Doubtless King Edward laughed in his beard at the na&iuml;ve proposal, even
+if courtesy kept him from laughing in the envoys' faces. As regards his
+answer, we cannot quote its words, but its nature may be gathered from
+the fact that Philip soon after broke camp, and marched back over the
+road by which he had come, saying to himself, no doubt, that the English
+king lacked knightly honor, or he would not take so unfair an advantage
+of a foe. And thus ended this strange episode in war, Philip marching
+away with all the bravery of his host, Edward grimly turning again to
+the town which he held in his iron grasp.</p>
+
+<p>The story of the siege of Calais concludes in a highly dramatic fashion.
+It was a play presented upon a great stage, but with true dramatic
+accessories of scenery and incident. These have been picturesquely
+preserved by the old chroniclers, and are well worthy of being again
+presented. Froissart has told the tale in his own inimitable fashion. We
+follow others in telling it in more modern phrase.</p>
+
+<p>When the people of Calais saw that they were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> deserted by their king,
+hope suddenly fled from their hearts. Longer defence meant but deeper
+misery. Nothing remained but surrender. Stout-hearted John de Vienne,
+their commander, seeing that all was at an end, mounted the walls with a
+flag of truce, and made signs that he wished to speak with some person
+of the besieging host. Word of this was brought to the English king, and
+he at once sent Sir Walter de Manny and Sir Basset as his envoys to
+confer with the bearer of the flag. The governor looked down upon them
+from the walls with sadness in his eyes and the lines of starvation on
+his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Sirs," he said, "valiant knights you are, as I well know. As for me, I
+have obeyed the command of the king, my master, by doing all that lay in
+my power to hold for him this town. Now succor has failed us, and food
+we have none. We must all die of famine unless your noble and gentle
+king will have mercy on us, and let us go free, in exchange for the town
+and all the goods it contains, of which there is great abundance."</p>
+
+<p>"We know something of the intention of our master," answered Sir Walter.
+"He will certainly not let you go free, but will require you to
+surrender without conditions, some of you to be held to ransom, others
+to be put to death. Your people have put him to such despite by their
+bitter obstinacy, and caused him such loss of treasure and men, that he
+is sorely grieved against them."</p>
+
+<p>"You make it too hard for us," answered the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> governor. "We are here a
+small company of knights and squires, who have served our king to our
+own pain and misery, as you would serve yours in like case; but rather
+than let the least lad in the town suffer more than the greatest of us,
+we will endure the last extremity of pain. We beg of you to plead for us
+with your king for pity, and trust that, by God's grace, his purpose
+will change, and his gentleness yield us pardon."</p>
+
+<p>The envoys, much moved by the wasted face and earnest appeal of the
+governor, returned with his message to the king, whom they found in an
+unrelenting mood. He answered them that he would make no other terms.
+The garrison must yield themselves to his pleasure. Sir Walter answered
+with words as wise as they were bold,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I beg you to consider this more fully," he said, "for you may be in the
+wrong, and make a dangerous example from which some of us may yet
+suffer. We shall certainly not very gladly go into any fortress of yours
+for defence, if you should put any of the people of this town to death
+after they yield; for in like case the French will certainly deal with
+us in the same fashion."</p>
+
+<p>Others of the lords present sustained Sir Walter in this opinion, and
+presented the case so strongly that the king yielded.</p>
+
+<p>"I will not be alone against you all," he said, after an interval of
+reflection. "This much will I yield. Go, Sir Walter, and say to the
+governor that all the grace I can give him is this. Let him send<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> me six
+of the chief burgesses of the town, who shall come out bareheaded,
+barefooted, and barelegged, clad only in their shirts, and with halters
+around their necks, with the keys of the tower and castle in their
+hands. These must yield themselves fully to my will. The others I will
+take to mercy."</p>
+
+<p>Sir Walter returned with this message, saying that no hope of better
+terms could be had of the king.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I beg you to wait here," said Sir John, "till I can take your
+message to the townsmen, who sent me here, and bring you their reply."</p>
+
+<p>Into the town went the governor, where he sought the market-place, and
+soon the town-bell was ringing its mustering peal. Quickly the people
+gathered, eager, says Jehan le Bel, "to hear their good news, for they
+were all mad with hunger." Sir John told them his message, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"No other terms are to be had, and you must decide quickly, for our foes
+ask a speedy answer."</p>
+
+<p>His words were followed by weeping and much lamentation among the
+people. Some of them must die. Who should it be? Sir John himself shed
+tears for their extremity. It was not in his heart to name the victims
+to the wrath of the English king.</p>
+
+<p>At length the richest burgess of the town, Eustace de St. Pierre,
+stepped forward and said, in tones of devoted resolution,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My friends and fellows, it would be great grief to let you all die by
+famine or otherwise, when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> there is a means given to save you. Great
+grace would he win from our Lord who could keep this people from dying.
+For myself, I have trust in God that if I save this people by my death I
+shall have pardon for my faults. Therefore, I offer myself as the first
+of the six, and am willing to put myself at the mercy of King Edward."</p>
+
+<p>He was followed by another rich burgess, Jehan D'Aire by name, who said,
+"I will keep company with my gossip Eustace."</p>
+
+<p>Jacques de Wisant and his brother, Peter de Wisant, both rich citizens,
+next offered themselves, and two others quickly made up the tale. Word
+was taken to Sir Walter of what had been done, and the victims
+apparelled themselves as the king had commanded.</p>
+
+<p>It was a sad procession that made its way to the gate of the town. Sir
+John led the way, the devoted six followed, while the remainder of the
+towns-people made their progress woful with tears and cries of grief.
+Months of suffering had not caused them deeper sorrow than to see these
+their brave hostages marching to death.</p>
+
+<p>The gate opened. Sir John and the six burgesses passed through. It
+closed behind them. Sir Walter stood waiting.</p>
+
+<p>"I deliver to you, as captain of Calais," said Sir John, "and by the
+consent of all the people of the town, these six burgesses, who I swear
+to you are the richest and most honorable burgesses of Calais.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>
+Therefore, gentle knight, I beg you pray the king to have mercy on them,
+and grant them their lives."</p>
+
+<p>"What the king will do I cannot say," answered Sir Walter, "but I shall
+do for them the best I can."</p>
+
+<p>The coming of the hostages roused great feeling in the English host.
+Their pale and wasted faces, their miserable state, the fate which
+threatened them, roused pity and sympathy in the minds of many, and not
+the least in that of the queen, who was with Edward in the camp, and
+came with him and his train of nobles as they approached the place to
+which the hostages had been led.</p>
+
+<p>When they were brought before the king the burgesses kneeled and
+piteously begged his grace, Eustace saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Gentle king, here be we six, who were burgesses of Calais, and great
+merchants. We bring you the keys of the town and the castle, and submit
+ourselves fully to your will, to save the remainder of our people, who
+have already suffered great pain. We beseech you to have mercy and pity
+on us through your high nobleness."</p>
+
+<p>His words brought tears from many persons there present, for naught so
+piteous had ever come before them. But the king looked on them with
+vindictive eyes, and for some moments stood in lowering silence. Then he
+gave the harsh command to take these men and strike off their heads.</p>
+
+<p>At this cruel sentence the lords of his council crowded round the king,
+begging for compassion,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> but he turned a deaf ear to their pleadings.
+Sir Walter de Manny then said, his eyes fixed in sorrow on the pale and
+trembling victims,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Noble sire, for God's sake restrain your wrath. You have the renown of
+all gentleness and nobility; I pray you do not a thing that can lay a
+blemish on your fair fame, or give men cause to speak of you
+despitefully. Every man will say it is a great cruelty to put to death
+such honest persons, who of their own will have put themselves into your
+hands to save the remainder of their people."</p>
+
+<p>These words seemed rather to heighten than to soften the king's wrath.
+He turned away fiercely, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Hold your peace, Master Walter; it shall be as I have said.&mdash;Call the
+headsman. They of Calais have made so many of my men to die, that they
+must die themselves."</p>
+
+<p>The queen had listened sadly to these words, while tears flowed freely
+from her gentle eyes. On hearing the harsh decision of her lord and
+king, she could restrain herself no longer. With streaming eyes she cast
+herself on her knees at his feet, and turned up to him her sweet,
+imploring face.</p>
+
+<p>"Gentle sir," she said, "since that day in which I passed over sea in
+great peril, as you know, I have asked no favor from you. Now I pray and
+beseech you with folded hands, in honor of the Son of the Virgin Mary,
+and for the love which you bear me, that you will have mercy on these
+poor men."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The king looked down upon her face, wet with tears, and stood silent for
+a few minutes. At length he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, dame, I would you had been in some other place this day. You pray
+so tenderly that I cannot refuse you. Though it is much against my will,
+nevertheless take them, I give them to you to use as you will."</p>
+
+<p>The queen, filled with joy at these words of grace and mercy, returned
+glad thanks to the king, and bade those near her to take the halters
+from the necks of the burgesses and clothe them. Then she saw that a
+good dinner was set before them, and gave each of them six nobles,
+afterwards directing that they should be taken in safety through the
+English army and set at liberty.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended that memorable siege of Calais, with one of the most dramatic
+incidents which history has to tell. For more than two centuries the
+captured city remained in English hands, being theirs long after they
+had lost all other possessions on the soil of France. At length, in
+1558, in the reign of Queen Mary, it was taken by the French, greatly to
+the chagrin of the queen, who is reported to have said, "When I die, you
+will find the word <i>Calais</i> written on my heart."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE BLACK PRINCE AT POITIERS.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Through the centre of France marched the Black Prince, with a small but
+valiant army. Into the heart of that fair kingdom had he come, ravaging
+the land as he went, leaving misery and destitution at every step, when
+suddenly across his line of march there appeared an unlooked-for
+obstacle. The plundering marches of the English had roused the French.
+In hosts they had gathered round their king, marched in haste to
+confront the advancing foe, and on the night of Saturday, September 17,
+1356, the English found their line of retreat cut off by what seemed an
+innumerable array of knights and men-at-arms, filling the whole country
+in their front as far as eye could see, closing with a wall of hostile
+steel their only road to safety.</p>
+
+<p>The danger was great. For two years the Black Prince and his army of
+foragers had held France at their mercy, plundering to their hearts'
+content. The year before, the young prince had led his army up the
+Garonne into&mdash;as an ancient chronicler tells us&mdash;"what was before one of
+the fat countries of the world, the people good and simple, who did not
+know what war was; indeed, no war had been waged against them till the
+prince came. The English and Gascons found the country full and gay,
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> rooms adorned with carpets and draperies, the caskets and chests
+full of fair jewels. But nothing was safe from these robbers. They, and
+especially the Gascons, who are very greedy, carried off everything."
+When they reached Bordeaux their horses were "so laden with spoils that
+they could hardly move."</p>
+
+<p>Again the prince had led his army of freebooters through France, but he
+was not to march out again with the same impunity as before. King John,
+who had just come to the throne, hastily gathered an army and marched to
+his country's relief. On the night named, the Black Prince, marching
+briskly forward with his small force of about eight thousand men, found
+himself suddenly in face of an overwhelming array of not less than sixty
+thousand of the best fighting blood of France.</p>
+
+<p>The case seemed hopeless. Surrender appeared the only resource of the
+English. Just ten years before, at Crecy, Edward III., in like manner
+driven to bay, had with a small force of English put to rout an
+overwhelming body of French. In that affair the Black Prince, then
+little more than a boy, had won the chief honor of the day. But it was
+beyond hope that so great a success could again be attained. It seemed
+madness to join battle with such a disproportion of numbers. Yet the
+prince remembered Crecy, and simply said, on being told how mighty was
+the host of the French,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, in the name of God, let us now study how we shall fight with them
+at our advantage."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Small as was the English force, it had all the advantages of position.
+In its front were thick and strong hedges. It could be approached only
+by a deep and narrow lane that ran between vineyards. In the rear was
+higher ground, on which the small body of men-at-arms were stationed.
+The bowmen lay behind the hedges and in the vineyards, guarding the lane
+of approach. Here they lay that night, awaiting the fateful morrow.</p>
+
+<p>With the morning's light the French army was drawn up in lines of
+assault. "Then trumpets blew up through the host," says gossipy old
+Froissart, "and every man mounted on horseback and went into the field,
+where they saw the king's banner wave with the wind. There might have
+been seen great nobles of fair harness and rich armory of banners and
+pennons; for there was all the flower of France; there was none durst
+abide at home, without he would be shamed forever."</p>
+
+<p>It was Sunday morning, a suitable day for the church to take part in the
+affair. Those were times in which the part of the church was apt to be
+played with sword and spear, but on this occasion it bore the
+olive-branch. At an early hour the cardinal of Perigord appeared on the
+scene, eager to make peace between the opposing forces. The pope had
+commissioned him to this duty.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir," he said, kneeling before King John, "ye have here all the flower
+of your realm against a handful of Englishmen, as regards your company.
+And, sir, if ye may have them accorded to you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> without battle, it shall
+be more profitable and honorable than to adventure this noble chivalry.
+I beg you let me, in the name of God and humility, ride to the prince
+and show him in what danger ye have him in."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img177.jpg"
+             alt="CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME POITIERS." /><br />
+         <b>CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME POITIERS.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>"That pleases me well," answered the king. "Go; but return again
+shortly."</p>
+
+<p>The cardinal thereupon rode to the English side and accosted the prince,
+whom he found on foot among his men. A courteous greeting passed.</p>
+
+<p>"Fair son," said the envoy of peace, "if you and your council know
+justly the power of the French king, you will suffer me to treat for
+peace between you."</p>
+
+<p>"I would gladly fall to any reasonable way," answered the prince, "if
+but my honor and that of my people be saved."</p>
+
+<p>Some further words passed, and the cardinal rode again to the king.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir," he said, "there seems hope of making peace with your foes, nor
+need you make haste to fight them, for they cannot flee if they would. I
+beg you, therefore, to forbear for this day, and put off the battle till
+to-morrow sunrise. That may give time to conclude a truce."</p>
+
+<p>This advice was not pleasing to the king, who saw no wisdom in delay,
+but the cardinal in the end persuaded him to consent to a day's respite.
+The conference ended, the king's pavilion of red silk was raised, and
+word sent through the army that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> the men might take their ease, except
+the advanced forces of the constable and marshal.</p>
+
+<p>All that day the cardinal kept himself busy in earnest efforts to effect
+an agreement. Back and forth he rode between the tents of the king and
+the prince, seeking to make terms of peace or surrender. Offer after
+offer was made and refused. The king's main demand was that four of the
+principal Englishmen should be placed in his hands, to deal with as he
+would, and all the others yield themselves prisoners. This the prince
+refused. He would agree to return all the castles and towns he had
+taken, surrender all prisoners, and swear not to bear arms against the
+French for seven years; this and no more he would offer.</p>
+
+<p>King John would listen to no such terms. He had the English at his
+mercy, as he fully believed, and it was for him, not for them, to make
+terms. He would be generous. The prince and a hundred of his knights
+alone should yield themselves prisoners. The rest might go free. Surely
+this was a most favorable offer, pleaded the cardinal. But so thought
+not the Black Prince, who refused it absolutely, and the cardinal
+returned in despair to Poitiers.</p>
+
+<p>That day of respite was not wasted by the prince. What he lacked in men
+he must make up in work. He kept his men busily employed, deepening the
+dikes, strengthening the hedges, making all the preparations that skill
+suggested and time permitted.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The sun rose on Monday morning, and with its first beams the tireless
+peace-maker was again on horse, with the forlorn hope that the bloody
+fray might still be avoided. He found the leaders of the hosts in a
+different temper from that of the day before. The time for words had
+gone; that for blows had come.</p>
+
+<p>"Return whither ye will," was King John's abrupt answer; "bring hither
+no more words of treaty or peace; and if you love yourself depart
+shortly."</p>
+
+<p>To the prince rode the good cardinal, overcome with emotion.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir," he pleaded, "do what you can for peace. Otherwise there is no
+help from battle, for I can find no spirit of accord in the French
+king."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor here," answered the prince, cheerfully. "I and all my people are of
+the same intent,&mdash;and God help the right!"</p>
+
+<p>The cardinal turned and rode away, sore-hearted with pity. As he went
+the prince turned to his men.</p>
+
+<p>"Though," he said, "we be but a small company as compared with the power
+of our foes, let not that abash us; for victory lies not in the
+multitude of people, but goes where God sends it. If fortune makes the
+day ours, we shall be honored by all the world; but if we die, the king,
+my father, and your good friends and kinsmen shall revenge us.
+Therefore, sirs and comrades, I require you to do your duty this day;
+for if God be pleased, and Saint<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> George aid, this day you shall see me
+a good knight."</p>
+
+<p>The battle began with a charge of three hundred French knights up the
+narrow lane. No sooner had they appeared than the vineyards and hedges
+rained arrows upon them, killing and wounding knights and horses; the
+animals, wild with pain, flinging and trampling their masters; the
+knights, heavy with armor and disabled by wounds, strewing that fatal
+lane with their bodies; while still the storm of steel-pointed shafts
+dealt death in their midst.</p>
+
+<p>The horsemen fell back in dismay, breaking the thick ranks of footmen
+behind them, and spreading confusion wherever they appeared. At this
+critical moment a body of English horse, who were posted on a little
+hill to the right, rushed furiously upon the French flank. At the same
+time the archers poured their arrows upon the crowded and disordered
+mass, and the prince, seeing the state of the enemy, led his men-at-arms
+vigorously upon their broken ranks.</p>
+
+<p>"St. George for Guienne!" was the cry, as the horsemen spurred upon the
+panic-stricken masses of the French.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us push to the French king's station; there lies the heart of the
+battle," said Lord Chandos to the prince. "He is too valiant to fly, I
+fancy. If we fight well, I trust, by the grace of God and St. George, we
+shall have him. You said we should see you this day a good knight."</p>
+
+<p>"You shall not see me turn back," said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> prince. "Advance, banner, in
+the name of God and St. George!"</p>
+
+<p>On went the banner; on came the array of fighting knights; into the
+French host they pressed deeper and deeper, King John their goal. The
+field was strewn with dead and dying; panic was spreading in widening
+circles through the French army; the repulsed horsemen were in full
+flight and thousands of those behind them broke and followed. King John
+fought with knightly courage, his son Philip, a boy of sixteen, by his
+side, aiding him by his cries of warning. But nothing could withstand
+the English onset. Some of his defenders fell, others fled; he would
+have fallen himself but for the help of a French knight, in the English
+service.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir, yield you," he called to the king, pressing between him and his
+assailants.</p>
+
+<p>"To whom shall I yield?" asked the king. "Where is my cousin, the prince
+of Wales?"</p>
+
+<p>"He is not here, sir. Yield, and I will bring you to him."</p>
+
+<p>"And who are you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am Denis of Morbecque, a knight of Artois. I serve the English king,
+for I am banished from France, and all I had has been forfeited."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I yield me to you," said the king, handing him his right gauntlet.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the rout of the French had become complete. On all sides they
+were in flight; on all sides the English were in pursuit. The prince had
+fought until he was overcome with fatigue.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I see no more banners or pennons of the French," said Sir John Chandos,
+who had kept beside him the day through. "You are sore chafed. Set your
+banner high in this bush, and let us rest."</p>
+
+<p>The prince's pavilion was set up, and drink brought him. As he quaffed
+it, he asked if any one had tidings of the French king.</p>
+
+<p>"He is dead or taken," was the answer. "He has not left the field."</p>
+
+<p>Two knights were thereupon sent to look for him, and had not got far
+before they saw a troop of men-at-arms wearily approaching. In their
+midst was King John, afoot and in peril, for they had taken him from Sir
+Denis, and were quarrelling as to who owned him.</p>
+
+<p>"Strive not about my taking," said the king. "Lead me to the prince. I
+am rich enough to make you all rich."</p>
+
+<p>The brawling went on, however, until the lords who had been sent to seek
+him came near.</p>
+
+<p>"What means all this, good sirs?" they asked. "Why do you quarrel?"</p>
+
+<p>"We have the French king prisoner," was the answer; "and there are more
+than ten knights and squires who claim to have taken him and his son."</p>
+
+<p>The envoys at this bade them halt and cease their clamor, on pain of
+their heads, and taking the king and his son from their midst they
+brought him to the tent of the prince of Wales, where the exalted
+captives were received with all courtesy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The battle, begun at dawn, was ended by noon. In that time was slain
+"all the flower of France; and there was taken, with the king and the
+Lord Philip his son, seventeen earls, besides barons, knights, and
+squires."</p>
+
+<p>The men returning from the pursuit brought in twice as many prisoners as
+their own army numbered in all. So great was the host of captives that
+many of them were ransomed on the spot, and set free on their word of
+honor to return to Bordeaux with their ransom before Christmas.</p>
+
+<p>The prince and his comrades had breakfasted that morning in dread; they
+supped that night in triumph. The supper party, as described by
+Froissart, is a true picture of the days of chivalry,&mdash;in war all
+cruelty, in peace all courtesy; ruthless in the field, gentle and
+ceremonious at the feast. Thus the picturesque old chronicler limns
+it,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The prince made the king and his son, the Lord James of Bourbon, the
+Lord John d'Artois, the earl of Tancarville, the Lord d'Estampes, the
+Earl Dammartyn, the earl of Greville, and the earl of Pertney, to sit
+all at one board, and other lords, knights, and squires at other tables;
+and always the prince served before the king as humbly as he could, and
+would not sit at the king's board, for any desire that the king could
+make; but he said he was not sufficient to sit at the table with so
+great a prince as the king was; but then he said to the king, 'Sir, for
+God's sake, make none evil nor heavy cheer, though God did not this day
+consent to follow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> your will; for, sir, surely the king my father shall
+bear you as much honor and amity as he may do, and shall accord with you
+so reasonably, and ye shall ever be friends together after; and, sir,
+methinks you ought to rejoice, though the journey be not as you would
+have had it; for this day ye have won the high renown of prowess, and
+have passed this day in valiantness all other of your party. Sir, I say
+not this to mock you; for all that be on our party, that saw every man's
+deeds, are plainly accorded by true sentence to give you the prize and
+chaplet."</p>
+
+<p>So ended that great day at Poitiers. It ended miserably enough for
+France, the routed soldiery themselves becoming bandits to ravage her,
+and the people being robbed for ransom till the whole realm was given
+over to misery and woe.</p>
+
+<p>It ended famously for England, another proud chaplet of victory being
+added to the crown of glory of Edward III. and his valiant son, the
+great day at Crecy being matched with as great a day at Poitiers.
+Agincourt was still to come, the three being the most notable instances
+in history of the triumph of a handful of men well led over a great but
+feebly-handled host. The age of knighthood and chivalry reached its
+culmination on these three memorable days. It ended at Agincourt,
+"villanous gunpowder" sounding its requiem on that great field. Cannon,
+indeed, had been used by Edward III. in his wars; but not until after
+this date did firearms banish the spear and bow from the "tented
+field."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>WAT TYLER AND THE MEN OF KENT.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In that year of woe and dread, 1348, the Black Death fell upon England.
+Never before had so frightful a calamity been known; never since has it
+been equalled. Men died by millions. All Europe had been swept by the
+plague, as by a besom of destruction, and now England became its prey.
+The population of the island at that period was not great,&mdash;some three
+or four millions in all. When the plague had passed more than half of
+these were in their graves, and in many places there were hardly enough
+living to bury the dead.</p>
+
+<p>We call it a calamity. It is not so sure that it was. Life in England at
+that day, for the masses of the people, was not so precious a boon that
+death had need to be sorely deplored. A handful of lords and a host of
+laborers, the latter just above the state of slavery, constituted the
+population. Many of the serfs had been set free, but the new liberty of
+the people was not a state of unadulterated happiness. War had drained
+the land. The luxury of the nobles added to the drain. The patricians
+caroused. The plebeians suffered. The Black Death came. After it had
+passed, labor, for the first time in English history, was master of the
+situation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Laborers had grown scarce. Many men refused to work. The first general
+strike for higher wages began. In the country, fields were left untilled
+and harvests rotted on the ground. "The sheep and cattle strayed through
+the fields and corn, and there were none left who could drive them." In
+the towns, craftsmen refused to work at the old rate of wages. Higher
+wages were paid, but the scarcity of food made higher prices, and men
+were little better off. Many laborers, indeed, declined to work at all,
+becoming tramps,&mdash;what were known as "sturdy beggars,"&mdash;or haunting the
+forests as bandits.</p>
+
+<p>The king and parliament sought to put an end to this state of affairs by
+law. An ordinance was passed whose effect would have made slaves of the
+people. Every man under sixty, not a land-owner or already at work (says
+this famous act), must work for the employer who demands his labor, and
+for the rate of wages that prevailed two years before the plague. The
+man who refused should be thrown into prison. This law failed to work,
+and sterner measures were passed. The laborer was once more made a serf,
+bound to the soil, his wage-rate fixed by parliament. Law after law
+followed, branding with a hot iron on the forehead being finally ordered
+as a restraint to runaway laborers. It was the first great effort made
+by the class in power to put down an industrial revolt.</p>
+
+<p>The peasantry and the mechanics of the towns resisted. The poor found
+their mouth-piece in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> John Ball, "a mad priest of Kent," as Froissart
+calls him. Mad his words must have seemed to the nobles of the land.
+"Good people," he declared, "things will never go well in England so
+long as goods be not in common, and so long as there be villains and
+gentlemen. By what right are they whom we call lords greater folk than
+we? On what grounds have they deserved it? Why do they hold us in
+serfage? If we all came of the same father and mother, of Adam and Eve,
+how can they say or prove that they are better than we, if it be not
+that they make us gain for them by our toil what they spend in their
+pride? They are clothed in velvet, and warm in their furs and their
+ermines, while we are covered with rags. They have wine and spices and
+fair bread; and we have oat-cake and straw, and water to drink. They
+have leisure and fine houses; we have pain and labor, the rain and the
+wind in the fields. And yet it is of us and of our toil that these men
+hold their state."</p>
+
+<p>So spoke this early socialist. So spoke his hearers in the popular rhyme
+of the day:</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"When Adam delved and Eve span,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Who was then the gentleman?"</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>So things went on for years, growing worse year by year, the fire of
+discontent smouldering, ready at a moment to burst into flame.</p>
+
+<p>At length the occasion came. Edward the Third died, but he left an ugly
+heritage of debt behind<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> him. His useless wars in France had beggared
+the crown. New money must be raised. Parliament laid a poll-tax on every
+person in the realm, the poorest to pay as much as the wealthiest.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img188.jpg"
+             alt="WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE." /><br />
+         <b>WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE.<br />Copyright, 1904, by Henry Froth. </b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>Here was an application of the doctrine of equality of which the people
+did not approve. The land was quickly on fire from sea to sea. Crowds of
+peasants gathered and drove the tax-gatherers with clubs from their
+homes. Rude rhymes passed from lip to lip, full of the spirit of revolt.
+All over southern England spread the sentiment of rebellion.</p>
+
+<p>The incident which set flame to the fuel was this. At Dartford, in Kent,
+lived one Wat Tyler, a hardy soldier who had served in the French wars.
+To his house, in his absence, came a tax-collector, and demanded the tax
+on his daughter. The mother declared that she was not taxable, being
+under fourteen years of age. The collector thereupon seized the child in
+an insulting manner, so frightening her that her screams reached the
+ears of her father, who was at work not far off. Wat flew to the spot,
+struck one blow, and the villanous collector lay dead at his feet.</p>
+
+<p>Within an hour the people of the town were in arms. As the story spread
+through the country, the people elsewhere rose and put themselves under
+the leadership of Wat Tyler. In Essex was another party in arms, under a
+priest called Jack Straw. Canterbury rose in rebellion, plundered the
+palace of the archbishop, and released John Ball from the prison to
+which this "mad" socialist had been con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>signed. The revolt spread like
+wildfire. County after county rose in insurrection. But the heart of the
+rebellion lay in Kent, and from that county marched a hundred thousand
+men, with Wat Tyler at their head, London their goal.</p>
+
+<p>To Blackheath they came, the multitude swelling as it marched. Every
+lawyer they met was killed. The houses of the stewards were burned, and
+the records of the manor courts flung into the flames. A wild desire for
+liberty and equality animated the mob, yet they did no further harm. All
+travellers were stopped and made to swear that they would be true to
+King Richard and the people. The king's mother fell into their hands,
+but all the harm done her was the being made to kiss a few rough-bearded
+men who vowed loyalty to her son.</p>
+
+<p>The young king&mdash;then a boy of sixteen&mdash;addressed them from a boat in the
+river. But his council would not let him land, and the peasants, furious
+at his distrust, rushed upon London, uttering cries of "Treason!" The
+drawbridge of London Bridge had been raised, but the insurgents had
+friends in the city who lowered it, and quickly the capital was swarming
+with Wat Tyler's infuriated men.</p>
+
+<p>Soon the prisons were broken open, and their inmates had joined the
+insurgent ranks. The palace of the Duke of Lancaster, the Savoy, the
+most beautiful in England, was quickly in flames. That nobleman,
+detested by the people, had fled in all haste to Scotland. The Temple,
+the head-quarters of the lawyers, was set on fire, and its books and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>
+documents reduced to ashes. The houses of the foreign merchants were
+burned. There was "method in the madness" of the insurgents. They sought
+no indiscriminate ruin. The lawyers and the foreigners were their
+special detestation. Robbery was not permitted. One thief was seen with
+a silver vessel which he had stolen from the Savoy. He and his plunder
+were flung together into the flames. They were, as they boasted,
+"seekers of truth and justice, not thieves or robbers."</p>
+
+<p>Thus passed the first day of the peasant occupation of London, the
+people of the town in terror, the insurgents in subjection to their
+leaders, and still more so to their own ideas. Many of them were drunk,
+but no outrages were committed. The influence of one terrible example
+repressed all theft. Never had so orderly a mob held possession of so
+great a city.</p>
+
+<p>On the second day, Wat Tyler and a band of his followers forced their
+way into the Tower. The knights of the garrison were panic-stricken, but
+no harm was done them. The peasants, in rough good humor, took them by
+the beards, and declared that they were now equals, and that in the time
+to come they would be good friends and comrades.</p>
+
+<p>But this rude jollity ceased when Archbishop Sudbury, who had been
+active in preventing the king from landing from the Thames, and the
+ministers who were concerned in the levy of the poll-tax, fell into
+their hands. Short shrift was given these detested officials. They were
+dragged to Tower Hill, and their heads struck off.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"King Richard and the people!" was the rallying cry of the insurgents.
+It went ill with those who hesitated to subscribe to this sentiment. So
+evidently were the peasants friendly to the king that the youthful
+monarch fearlessly sought them at Mile End, and held a conference with
+sixty thousand of them who lay there encamped.</p>
+
+<p>"I am your king and lord, good people," he boldly addressed them; "what
+will ye?"</p>
+
+<p>"We will that you set us free forever," was the answer of the
+insurgents, "us and our lands; and that we be never named nor held for
+serfs."</p>
+
+<p>"I grant it," said the king.</p>
+
+<p>His words were received with shouts of joy. The conference then
+continued, the leaders of the peasants proposing four conditions, to all
+of which the king assented. These were, first, that neither they nor
+their descendants should ever be enslaved; second, that the rent of land
+should be paid in money at a fixed price, not in service; third, that
+they should be at liberty to buy and sell in market and elsewhere, like
+other free men; fourth, that they should be pardoned for past offences.</p>
+
+<p>"I grant them all," said Richard. "Charters of freedom and pardon shall
+be at once issued. Go home and dwell in peace, and no harm shall come to
+you."</p>
+
+<p>More than thirty clerks spent the rest of that day writing at all speed
+the pledges of amnesty promised by the king. These satisfied the bulk of
+the insurgents, who quietly left for their homes, plac<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>ing all
+confidence in the smooth promises of the youthful monarch.</p>
+
+<p>Some interesting scenes followed their return. The gates of the Abbey of
+St. Albans were forced open, and a throng of townsmen crowded in, led by
+one William Grindcobbe, who compelled the abbot to deliver up the
+charters which held the town in serfage to the abbey. Then they burst
+into the cloister, sought the millstones which the courts had declared
+should alone grind corn at St. Albans, and broke them into small pieces.
+These were distributed among the peasants as visible emblems of their
+new-gained freedom.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Wat Tyler had remained in London, with thirty thousand men at
+his back, to see that the kingly pledge was fulfilled. He had not been
+at Mile End during the conference with the king, and was not satisfied
+with the demands of the peasants. He asked, in addition, that the forest
+laws should be abolished, and the woods made free.</p>
+
+<p>The next day came. Chance brought about a meeting between Wat and the
+king, and hot blood made it a tragedy. King Richard was riding with a
+train of some sixty gentlemen, among them William Walworth, the mayor of
+London, when, by ill hap, they came into contact with Wat and his
+followers.</p>
+
+<p>"There is the king," said Wat. "I will go speak with him, and tell him
+what we want."</p>
+
+<p>The bold leader of the peasants rode forward and confronted the monarch,
+who drew rein and waited to hear what he had to say.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"King Richard," said Wat, "dost thou see all my men there?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ay," said the king. "Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because," said Wat, "they are all at my command, and have sworn to do
+whatever I bid them."</p>
+
+<p>What followed is not very clear. Some say that Wat laid his hand on the
+king's bridle, others that he fingered his dagger threateningly.
+Whatever the provocation, Walworth, the mayor, at that instant pressed
+forward, sword in hand, and stabbed the unprotected man in the throat
+before he could make a movement of defence. As he turned to rejoin his
+men he was struck a death-blow by one of the king's followers.</p>
+
+<p>This rash action was one full of danger. Only the ready wit and courage
+of the king saved the lives of his followers,&mdash;perhaps of himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Kill! kill!" cried the furious peasants, "they have killed our
+captain."</p>
+
+<p>Bows were bent, swords drawn, an ominous movement begun. The moment was
+a critical one. The young king proved himself equal to the occasion.
+Spurring his horse, he rode boldly to the front of the mob.</p>
+
+<p>"What need ye, my masters?" he cried. "That man is a traitor. I am your
+captain and your king. Follow me!"</p>
+
+<p>His words touched their hearts. With loud shouts of loyalty they
+followed him to the Tower, where he was met by his mother with tears of
+joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Rejoice and praise God," the young king said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> to her; "for I have
+recovered to-day my heritage which was lost, and the realm of England."</p>
+
+<p>It was true; the revolt was at an end. The frightened nobles had
+regained their courage, and six thousand knights were soon at the
+service of the king, pressing him to let them end the rebellion with
+sword and spear.</p>
+
+<p>He refused. His word had been passed, and he would live to it&mdash;at least,
+until the danger was passed. The peasants still in London received their
+charters of freedom and dispersed to their homes. The city was freed of
+the low-born multitude who had held it in mortal terror.</p>
+
+<p>Yet all was not over. Many of the peasants were still in arms. Those of
+St. Albans were emulated by those of St. Edmondsbury, where fifty
+thousand men broke their way into the abbey precincts, and forced the
+monks to grant a charter of freedom to the town. In Norwich a dyer,
+Littester by name, calling himself the King of the Commons, forced the
+nobles captured by his followers to act as his meat-tasters, and serve
+him on their knees during his repasts. His reign did not last long. The
+Bishop of Norwich, with a following of knights and men-at-arms, fell on
+his camp and made short work of his majesty.</p>
+
+<p>The king, soon forgetting his pledges, led an army of forty thousand men
+through Kent and Essex, and ruthlessly executed the peasant leaders.
+Some fifteen hundred of them were put to death. The peasants resisted
+stubbornly, but they were put<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> down. The jurors refused to bring the
+prisoners in guilty, until they were threatened with execution
+themselves. The king and council, in the end, seemed willing to
+compromise with the peasantry, but the land-owners refused compliance.
+Their serfs were their property, they said, and could not be taken from
+them by king or parliament without their consent. "And this consent,"
+they declared, "we have never given and never will give, were we all to
+die in one day."</p>
+
+<p>Yet the revolt of the peasantry was not without its useful effect. From
+that time serfdom died rapidly. Wages continued to rise. A century after
+the Black Death, a laborer's work in England "commanded twice the amount
+of the necessaries of life which could have been obtained for the wages
+paid under Edward the Third." In a century and a half serfdom had almost
+vanished.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended the greatest peasant outbreak that England ever knew. The
+outbreak of Jack Cade, which took place seventy years afterwards, was
+for political rather than industrial reform. During those seventy years
+the condition of the working-classes had greatly improved, and the
+occasion for industrial revolt correspondingly decreased.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img196.jpg"
+             alt="BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES." /><br />
+         <b>BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES.</b>
+    </div>
+<h2><i>THE WHITE ROSE OF ENGLAND.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>The wars of the White and the Red Roses were at an end, Lancaster had
+triumphed over York, Richard III., the last of the Plantagenets, had
+died on Bosworth field, and the Red Rose candidate, Henry VII., was on
+the throne. It seemed fitting, indeed, that the party of the red should
+bear the banners of triumph, for the frightful war of white and red had
+deluged England with blood, and turned to crimson the green of many a
+fair field. Two of the White Rose claimants of the throne, the sons of
+Edward IV., had been imprisoned by Richard III. in the Tower of London,
+and, so said common report, had been strangled in their beds. But their
+fate was hidden in mystery, and there were those who believed that the
+princes of the Tower still lived.</p>
+
+<p>One claimant to the throne, a scion of the White Rose kings, Edward,
+Earl of Warwick, was still locked up in the Tower, so closely kept from
+human sight and knowledge as to leave the field open to the claims of
+imposture. For suddenly a handsome youth appeared in Ireland declaring
+that he was the Earl of Warwick, escaped from the Tower, and asking aid
+to help him regain the throne, which he claimed as rightfully his. The
+story of this boy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> is a short one; the end of his career fortunately a
+comedy instead of a tragedy. In Ireland were many adherents of the house
+of York. The story of the handsome lad was believed; he was crowned at
+Dublin,&mdash;the crown being taken from the head of a statue of the Virgin
+Mary,&mdash;and was then carried home on the shoulders of a gigantic Irish
+chieftain, as was the custom in green Erin in those days.</p>
+
+<p>The youthful claimant had entered Ireland with a following of two
+thousand German soldiers, provided by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy,
+sister of Edward IV., who hated Henry VII. and all the party of
+Lancaster with an undying hatred. From Ireland he invaded England, with
+an Irish following added to his German. His small army was met by the
+king with an overpowering force, half of it killed, the rest scattered,
+and the young imposter taken captive.</p>
+
+<p>Henry was almost the first king of Norman England who was not cruel by
+instinct. He could be cruel enough by calculation, but he was not
+disposed to take life for the mere pleasure of killing. He knew this boy
+to be an impostor, since Edward, Earl of Warwick, was still in the
+Tower. The astute king deemed it wiser to make him a laughing-stock than
+a martyr. He made inquiry as to his origin. The boy proved to be the son
+of a baker of Oxford, his true name Lambert Simnel. He had been tutored
+to play the prince by an ambitious priest named Simons. This priest was
+shut up in prison, and died there. As for his pupil, the king<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>
+contemptuously sent him into his kitchen, and condemned him to the
+servile office of turnspit. Afterwards, as young Simnel showed some
+intelligence and loyalty, he was made one of the king's falconers. And
+so ended the story of this sham Plantagenet.</p>
+
+<p>Hardly had this ambitious boy been set to the humble work of turning a
+spit in the king's kitchen, when a new claimant of the crown
+appeared,&mdash;a far more dangerous one. It is his story to which that of
+Lambert Simnel serves as an amusing prelude.</p>
+
+<p>On one fine day in the year 1492&mdash;Columbus being then on his way to the
+discovery of America&mdash;there landed at Cork, in a vessel hailing from
+Portugal, a young man very handsome in face, and very winning in
+manners, who lost no time in presenting himself to some of the leading
+Irish and telling them that he was Richard, Duke of York, the second son
+of Edward IV. This story some of his hearers were not ready to believe.
+They had just passed through an experience of the same kind.</p>
+
+<p>"That cannot be," they said: "the sons of King Edward were murdered by
+their uncle in the Tower."</p>
+
+<p>"People think so, I admit," said the young stranger. "My brother <i>was</i>
+murdered there, foully killed in that dark prison. But I escaped, and
+for seven years have been wandering."</p>
+
+<p>The boy had an easy and engaging manner, a fluent tongue, and told so
+well-devised and prob<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span>able a story of the manner of his escape, that he
+had little difficulty in persuading his credulous hearers that he was
+indeed Prince Richard. Soon he had a party at his back, Cork shouted
+itself hoarse in his favor, there was banqueting and drinking, and in
+this humble fashion the cause of the White Rose was resuscitated, the
+banners of York were again flung to the winds.</p>
+
+<p>We have begun our story in the middle. We must go back to its beginning.
+Margaret of Burgundy, whose hatred for the Lancastrian king was intense,
+had spread far and wide the rumor that Richard, Duke of York, was still
+alive. The story was that the villains employed by Richard III. to
+murder the princes in the Tower, had killed the elder only. Remorse had
+stricken their hardened souls, and compassion induced them to spare the
+younger, and privately to set him at liberty, he being bidden on peril
+of life not to divulge who he really was. This seed well sown, the
+astute duchess laid her plans to bring it to fruitage. A handsome youth
+was brought into her presence, a quick-witted, intelligent, crafty lad,
+with nimble tongue and unusually taking manners. Such, at least, was the
+story set afloat by Henry VII., which goes on to say that the duchess
+kept her prot&eacute;g&eacute; concealed until she had taught him thoroughly the whole
+story of the murdered prince, instructed him in behavior suitable to his
+assumed birth, and filled his memory with details of the boy's life and
+certain secrets he would be likely to know, while advis<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>ing him how to
+avoid certain awkward questions that might be asked. The boy was quick
+to learn his lesson, the hope of becoming king of England inciting his
+naturally keen wit. This done, the duchess sent him privately to
+Portugal, knowing well that if his advent could be traced to her house
+suspicion would be aroused.</p>
+
+<p>This is the narrative that has been transmitted to us, but it is one
+which, it must be acknowledged, has come through suspicious channels, as
+will appear in the sequel. But whatever be the facts, it is certain that
+about this time Henry VII. declared war against France, and that the war
+had not made much progress before the youth described sailed from
+Portugal and landed in Cork, where he claimed to be Richard, Duke of
+York, and the true heir of the English throne.</p>
+
+<p>And now began a most romantic and adventurous career. The story of the
+advent of a prince of the house of York in Ireland made its way through
+England and France. Henry VII. was just then too busy with his French
+war to attend to his new rival; but Charles VIII. of France saw here an
+opportunity of annoying his enemy. He accordingly sent envoys to Cork,
+with an invitation to the youth to seek his court, where he would be
+acknowledged as the true heir to the royal crown of England.</p>
+
+<p>The astute young man lost no time in accepting the invitation. Charles
+received him with as much honor as though he were indeed a king,
+appointed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> him a body-guard, and spread far and wide the statement that
+the Duke of York, the rightful heir of the English crown, was at his
+court, and that he would sustain his claim. What might have come of
+this, had the war continued, we cannot say. A number of noble
+Englishmen, friends of York, made their way to Paris, and became
+believers in the story of the young adventurer. But the hopes of the
+aspirant in this quarter came to an end with the ending of the war.
+Charles's secret purpose had been to force Henry to conclude a peace,
+and in this he succeeded. He had now no further use for his young
+prot&eacute;g&eacute;. He had sufficient honor not to deliver him into Henry's hands,
+as he was asked to do; but he set him adrift from his own court, bidding
+him to seek his fortune elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>From France the young aspirant made his way into Flanders, and presented
+himself at the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, with every appearance
+of never having been there before. He sought her, he said, as his aunt.
+The duchess received him with an air of doubt and suspicion. He was, she
+acknowledged, the image of her dear departed brother, but more evidence
+was needed. She questioned him, therefore, closely, before the members
+of her court, making searching inquiries into his earlier life and
+recollections. These he answered so satisfactorily that the duchess
+declared herself transported with astonishment and joy, and vowed that
+he was indeed her nephew, miraculously delivered from prison, brought
+from death to life, won<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>derfully preserved by destiny for some great
+fortune. She was not alone in this belief. All who heard his answers
+agreed with her, many of them borne away by his grace of person and
+manner and the fascination of his address. The duchess declared his
+identity beyond doubt, did him honor as a born prince, gave him a
+body-guard of thirty halberdiers, who were clad in a livery of murrey
+and blue, and called him by the taking title of the "White Rose of
+England." He seemed, indeed, like one risen from the grave to set afloat
+once more the banners of the White Rose of York.</p>
+
+<p>The tidings of what was doing in Flanders quickly reached England, where
+a party in favor of the aspirant's pretensions slowly grew up. Several
+noblemen joined it, discontent having been caused by certain unpopular
+acts of the king. Sir Robert Clifford sailed to Flanders, visited
+Margaret's court, and wrote back to England that there was no doubt that
+the young man was the Duke of York, whose person he knew as he knew his
+own.</p>
+
+<p>While these events were fomenting, secretly and openly, King Henry was
+at work, secretly and openly, to disconcert his foes. He set a guard
+upon the English ports, that no suspicious person should enter or leave
+the kingdom, and then put his wits to task to prove the falsity of the
+whole neatly-wrought tale. Two of those concerned in the murder of the
+princes were still alive,&mdash;Sir James Tirrel and John Dighton. Sir James
+claimed to have stood at the stair-foot, while Dighton and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> another did
+the murder, smothering the princes in their bed. To this they both
+testified, though the king, for reasons unexplained, did not publish
+their testimony.</p>
+
+<p>Henry also sent spies abroad, to search into the truth concerning the
+assumed adventurer. These, being well supplied with money, and bidden to
+trace every movement of the youth, at length declared that they had
+discovered that he was the son of a Flemish merchant, of the city of
+Tournay, his name Perkin Warbeck, his knowledge of the language and
+manners of England having been derived from the English traders in
+Flanders. This information, with much to support it, was set afloat in
+England, and the king then demanded of the Archduke Philip, sovereign of
+Burgundy, that he should give up this pretender, or banish him from his
+court. Philip replied that Burgundy was the domain of the duchess, who
+was mistress in her own land. In revenge, Henry closed all commercial
+communication between the two countries, taking from Antwerp its
+profitable market in English cloth.</p>
+
+<p>Now tragedy followed comedy. Sir Robert Clifford, who had declared the
+boy to be undoubtedly the Duke of York, suffered the king to convince
+him that he was mistaken, and denounced several noblemen as being
+secretly friends to Perkin Warbeck. These were arrested, and three of
+them beheaded, one of them, Sir William Stanley, having saved Henry's
+life on Bosworth Field. But he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> was rich, and a seizure of his estate
+would swell the royal coffers. With Henry VII. gold weighed heavier than
+gratitude.</p>
+
+<p>For three years all was quiet. Perkin Warbeck kept his princely state at
+the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, and the merchants of Flanders
+suffered heavily from the closure of the trade of Antwerp. This grew
+intolerable. The people were indignant. Something must be done. The
+pretended prince must leave Flanders, or he ran risk of being killed by
+its inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>The adventurous youth was thus obliged to leave his refuge at Margaret's
+court, and now entered upon a more active career. Accompanied by a few
+hundred men, he sailed from Flanders and landed on the English coast at
+Deal. He hoped for a rising in his behalf. On the contrary, the
+country-people rose against him, killed many of his followers, and took
+a hundred and fifty prisoners. These were all hanged, by order of the
+king, along the sea-shore, as a warning to any others who might wish to
+invade England.</p>
+
+<p>Flanders was closed against the pretender. Ireland was similarly closed,
+for Henry had gained the Irish to his side. Scotland remained, there
+being hostility between the English and Scottish kings. Hither the
+fugitive made his way. James IV. of Scotland gave him a most encouraging
+reception, called him cousin, and in a short time married him to one of
+the most beautiful and charming ladies of his court, Lady Catharine
+Gordon, a relative of the royal house of the Stuarts.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For a time now the fortunes of the young aspirant improved. Henry,
+alarmed at his progress, sought by bribery of the Scottish lords to have
+him delivered into his hands. In this he failed; James was faithful to
+his word. Soon Perkin had a small army at his back. The Duchess of
+Burgundy provided him with men, money, and arms, till in a short time he
+had fifteen hundred good soldiers under his command.</p>
+
+<p>With these, and with the aid of King James of Scotland, who reinforced
+his army and accompanied him in person, he crossed the border into
+England, and issued a proclamation, calling himself King Richard the
+Fourth, and offering large rewards to any one who should take or
+distress Henry Tudor, as he called the king.</p>
+
+<p>Unluckily for the young invader, the people of England had had enough of
+civil war. White Rose or Red Rose had become of less importance to them
+than peace and prosperity. They refused to rise in his support, and
+quickly grew to hate his soldiers, who, being of different nations, most
+of them brigandish soldiers of fortune, began by quarrelling with one
+another, and ended by plundering the country.</p>
+
+<p>"This is shameful," said Perkin. "I am not here to distress the English
+people. Rather than fill the country with misery, I will lose my
+rights."</p>
+
+<p>King James laughed at his scruples, giving him to understand that no
+true king would stop for such a trifle. But Perkin was resolute, and
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> army marched back again into Scotland without fighting a battle.
+The White Rose had shown himself unfit for kingship in those days. He
+was so weak as to have compassion for the people, if that was the true
+cause of his retreat.</p>
+
+<p>This invasion had one unlooked-for result. The people had been heavily
+taxed by Henry, in preparation for the expected war. In consequence the
+men of Cornwall rose in rebellion. With Flammock, a lawyer, and Joseph,
+a blacksmith, at their head, they marched eastward through England until
+within sight of London, being joined by Lord Audley and some other
+country gentlemen on their route. The king met and defeated them, though
+they fought fiercely. Lord Audley was beheaded, Flammock and Joseph were
+hanged, the rest were pardoned. And so ended this threatening
+insurrection.</p>
+
+<p>It was of no advantage to the wandering White Rose. He soon had to leave
+Scotland, peace having been made between the two kings. James, like
+Charles VIII. before him, was honorable and would not give him up, but
+required him to leave his kingdom. Perkin and his beautiful wife, who
+clung to him with true love, set sail for Ireland. For a third time he
+had been driven from shelter.</p>
+
+<p>In Ireland he found no support. The people had become friendly to the
+king, and would have nothing to do with the wandering White Rose. As a
+forlorn hope, he sailed for Cornwall, trusting that the stout Cornish
+men, who had just struck so fierce<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> a blow for their rights, might
+gather to his support. With him went his wife, clinging with unyielding
+faith and love to his waning fortunes.</p>
+
+<p>He landed at Whitsand Bay, on the coast of Cornwall, issued a
+proclamation under the title of Richard the Fourth of England, and
+quickly found himself in command of a small army of Cornishmen. His wife
+he left in the castle of St. Michael's Mount, as a place of safety, and
+at the head of three thousand men marched into Devonshire. By the time
+he reached Exeter he had six thousand men under his command. They
+besieged Exeter, but learning that the king was on the march, they
+raised the siege, and advanced until Taunton was reached, when they
+found themselves in front of the king's army.</p>
+
+<p>The Cornishmen were brave and ready. They were poorly armed and
+outnumbered, but battle was their only thought. Such was not the thought
+of their leader. For the first time in his career he found himself face
+to face with a hostile army. He could plot, could win friends by his
+engaging manners, could do anything but fight. But now that the critical
+moment had come he found that he lacked courage. Perhaps this had as
+much as compassion to do with his former retreat to Scotland. It is
+certain that the sight of grim faces and brandished arms before him
+robbed his heart of its bravery. Mounting a swift horse, he fled in the
+night, followed by about threescore others. In the morning his men found
+themselves without<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> a leader. Having nothing to fight for, they
+surrendered. Some few of the more desperate of them were hanged. The
+others were pardoned and permitted to return.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner was the discovery made that the White Rose had taken to the
+winds than horsemen were sent in speedy pursuit, one troop being sent to
+St. Michael's Mount to seize the Lady Catharine, and a second troop of
+five hundred horse to pursue the fugitive pretender, and take him, if
+possible, before he could reach the sanctuary of Beaulieu, in the New
+Forest, whither he had fled. The lady was quickly brought before the
+king. Whether or not he meant to deal harshly with her, the sight of her
+engaging face moved him to compassion and admiration. She was so
+beautiful, bore so high a reputation for goodness, and was so lovingly
+devoted to her husband, that the king was disarmed of any ill purposes
+he may have entertained, and treated her with the highest respect and
+consideration. In the end he gave her an allowance suitable to her rank,
+placed her at court near the queen's person, and continued her friend
+during life. Years after, when the story of Perkin Warbeck had almost
+become a nursery-tale, the Lady Catharine was still called by the people
+the "White Rose," as a tribute to her beauty and her romantic history.</p>
+
+<p>As regards the fugitive and his followers, they succeeded in reaching
+Beaulieu and taking sanctuary. The pursuers, who had failed to overtake
+them, could only surround the sanctuary and wait<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> orders from the king.
+The astute Henry pursued his usual course, employing policy instead of
+force. Perkin was coaxed out of his retreat, on promise of good
+treatment if he should surrender, and was brought up to London, guarded,
+but not bound. Henry, who was curious to see him, contrived to do so
+from a window, screening himself while closely observing his rival.</p>
+
+<p>London reached, the cavalcade became a procession, the captive being led
+through the principal streets for the edification of the populace,
+before being taken to the Tower. The king had little reason to fear him.
+The pretended prince, who had run away from his army, was not likely to
+obtain new adherents. Scorn and contempt were the only manifestations of
+popular opinion.</p>
+
+<p>So little, indeed, did Henry dread this aspirant to the throne, that he
+was quickly released from the Tower and brought to Westminster, where he
+was treated as a gentleman, being examined from time to time regarding
+his imposture. Such parts of his confession as the king saw fit to
+divulge were printed and spread through the country, but were of a
+nature not likely to settle the difficulty. "Men missing of that they
+looked for, looked about for they knew not what, and were more in doubt
+than before, but the king chose rather not to satisfy, than to kindle
+coals."</p>
+
+<p>Perkin soon brought the king's complaisance to an end. His mercurial
+disposition counselled flight, and, deceiving his guards, he slipped
+from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> the palace and fled to the sea-shore. Here he found all avenues of
+escape closed, and so diligent was the pursuit that he quickly turned
+back, and again took sanctuary in Bethlehem priory, near Richmond. The
+prior came to the king and offered to deliver him up, asking for his
+life only. His escapade had roused anger in the court.</p>
+
+<p>"Take the rogue and hang him forthwith," was the hot advice of the
+king's council.</p>
+
+<p>"The silly boy is not worth a rope," answered the king. "Take the knave
+and set him in the stocks. Let the people see what sort of a prince this
+is."</p>
+
+<p>Life being promised, the prior brought forth his charge, and a few days
+after Perkin was set in the stocks for a whole day, in the palace-court
+at Westminster. The next day he was served in the same manner at
+Cheapside, in both places being forced to read a paper which purported
+to be a true and full confession of his imposture. From Cheapside he was
+taken to the Tower, having exhausted the mercy of the king.</p>
+
+<p>In the Tower he was placed in the company of the Earl of Warwick, the
+last of the acknowledged Plantagenets, who had been in this gloomy
+prison for fourteen years. It is suspected that the king had a dark
+purpose in this. To the one he had promised life; the other he had no
+satisfactory reason to remove; possibly he fancied that the uneasy
+temper of Perkin would give him an excuse for the execution of both.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>If such was his scheme, it worked well. Perkin had not been long in the
+Tower before the quick-silver of his nature began to declare itself. His
+insinuating address gained him the favor of his keepers, whom he soon
+began to offer lofty bribes to aid his escape. Into this plot he managed
+to draw the young earl. The plan devised was that the four keepers
+should murder the lieutenant of the Tower in the night, seize the keys
+and such money as they could find, and let out Perkin and the earl.</p>
+
+<p>It may be that the king himself had arranged this plot, and instructed
+the keepers in their parts. Certainly it was quickly divulged. And by
+strange chance, just at this period a third pretender appeared, this
+time a shoemaker's son, who, like the baker's son, pretended to be the
+Earl of Warwick. His name was Ralph Wilford. He had been taught his part
+by a priest named Patrick. They came from Suffolk and advanced into
+Kent, where the priest took to the pulpit to advocate the claims of his
+charge. Both were quickly taken, the youth executed, the priest
+imprisoned for life.</p>
+
+<p>And now Henry doubtless deemed that matters of this kind had gone far
+enough. The earl and his fellow-prisoner were indicted for conspiracy,
+tried and found guilty, the earl beheaded on Tower Hill, and Perkin
+Warbeck hanged at Tyburn. This was in the year 1499. It formed a
+dramatic end to the history of the fifteenth century, being the closing
+event in the wars of the White and the Red<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> Roses, the death of the last
+Plantagenet and of the last White Rose aspirant to the throne.</p>
+
+<p>In conclusion, the question may be asked, Who was Perkin Warbeck? All we
+know of him is the story set afloat by Henry VII., made up of accounts
+told by his spies and a confession wrested from a boy threatened with
+death. That he was taught his part by Margaret of Burgundy we have only
+this evidence for warrant. He was publicly acknowledged by this lady,
+the sister of Edward IV., was married by James of Scotland to a lady of
+royal blood, was favorably received by many English lords, and was
+widely believed, in view of the mystery surrounding the fate of the
+princes, to be truly the princely person he declared himself. However
+that be, his story is a highly romantic one, and forms a picturesque
+closing scene to the long drama of the Wars of the Roses.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>It was the day fixed for the opening of the most brilliant pageant known
+to modern history. On the green space in front of the dilapidated castle
+of Guisnes, on the soil of France, but within what was known as the
+English pale, stood a summer palace of the amplest proportions and the
+most gorgeous decorations, which was furnished within with all that
+comfort demanded and art and luxury could provide. Let us briefly
+describe this magnificent palace, which had been prepared for the
+temporary residence of the English king.</p>
+
+<p>The building was of wood, square in shape, each side being three hundred
+and twenty-eight feet long. On every side were oriel-windows and
+curiously glazed clerestories, whose mullions and posts were overlaid
+with gold. In front of the grand entrance stood an embattled gate-way,
+having on each side statues of warriors in martial attitudes. From the
+gate to the palace sloped upward a long passage, flanked with images in
+bright armor and presenting "sore and terrible countenances." This led
+to an embowered landing-place, where, facing the great doors, stood
+antique figures girt with olive-branches.</p>
+
+<p>Interiorly the palace halls and chambers were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> superbly decorated, white
+silk forming the ceilings of the passages and galleries, from which
+depended silken hangings of various colors and braided cloths, "which
+showed like bullions of fine braided gold." Roses set in lozenges, on a
+golden ground-work, formed the chamber ceilings. The wall spaces were
+decorated with richly carved and gilt panels, while embroidered silk
+tapestry hung from the windows and formed the walls of the corridors. In
+the state apartments the furniture was of princely richness, the whole
+domains of art and industry having been ransacked to provide their most
+splendid belongings. Exteriorly the building presented an equally ornate
+appearance, glass, gold-work, and ornamental hangings quite concealing
+the carpentry, so that "every quarter of it, even the least, was a
+habitation fit for a prince."</p>
+
+<p>To what end, in the now far-away year of 1520, and in that rural
+locality, under the shadows of a castle which had fallen into
+irredeemable ruin, had such an edifice been built,&mdash;one which only the
+revenues of a kingdom, in that day, could have erected? Its purpose was
+a worthy one. France and England, whose intercourse for centuries had
+been one of war, were now to meet in peace. Crecy and Agincourt had been
+the last meeting-places of the monarchs of these kingdoms, and death and
+ruin had followed their encounters. Now Henry the Eighth of England and
+Francis the First of France were to meet in peace and amity, spending
+the revenues of their kingdoms not for armor of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> linked mail and
+death-dealing weapons, but for splendid attire and richest pageantry, in
+token of friendship and fraternity between the two realms.</p>
+
+<p>A century had greatly changed the relations of England and France. In
+1420 Henry V. had recently won the great victory of Agincourt, and
+France lay almost prostrate at his feet. In 1520 the English possessions
+in France were confined to the seaport of Calais and a small district
+around it known as the "English pale." The castle of Guisnes stood just
+within the English border, the meeting between the two monarchs being
+fixed at the line of separation of the two kingdoms.</p>
+
+<p>The palace we have described, erected for the habitation of King Henry
+and his suite, had been designed and ordered by Cardinal Wolsey, to
+whose skill in pageantry the management of this great festival had been
+consigned. Extensive were the preparations alike in England and in
+France. All that the island kingdom could furnish of splendor and riches
+was provided, not alone for the adornment of the king and his guard, but
+for the host of nobles and the multitude of persons of minor estate, who
+came in his train, the whole following of the king being nearly four
+thousand persons, while more than a thousand formed the escort of the
+queen. For the use of this great company had been brought nearly four
+thousand richly-caparisoned horses, with vast quantities of the other
+essentials of human comfort and regal display.</p>
+
+<p>While England had been thus busy in preparing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> for the pageant, France
+had been no less active. Arde, a town near the English pale, had been
+selected as the dwelling-place of Francis and his train. As for the
+splendor of adornment of those who followed him, there seems to have
+been almost nothing worn but silks, velvets, cloth of gold and silver,
+jewels and precious stones, such being the costliness of the display
+that a writer who saw it humorously says, "Many of the nobles carried
+their castles, woods, and farms upon their backs."</p>
+
+<p>Magnificent as was the palace built for Henry and his train, the
+arrangements for the French king and his train were still more imposing.
+The artistic taste of the French was contrasted with the English love
+for solid grandeur. Francis had proposed that both parties should lodge
+in tents erected on the field, and in pursuance of this idea there had
+been prepared "numerous pavilions, fitted up with halls, galleries, and
+chambers ornamented within and without with gold and silver tissue.
+Amidst golden balls and quaint devices glittering in the sun, rose a
+gilt figure of St. Michael, conspicuous for his blue mantle powdered
+with golden <i>fleurs-de-lis</i>, and crowning a royal pavilion of vast
+dimensions supported by a single mast. In his right hand he held a dart,
+in his left a shield emblazoned with the arms of France. Inside, the
+roof of the pavilion represented the canopy of heaven ornamented with
+stars and figures of the zodiac. The lodgings of the queen, of the
+Duchess d'Alen&ccedil;on, the king's favorite sister, and of other ladies and
+princes of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> the blood, were covered with cloth of gold. The rest of the
+tents, to the number of three or four hundred, emblazoned with the arms
+of their owners, were pitched on the banks of a small river outside the
+city walls."</p>
+
+<p>No less abundant provision had been made for the residence of the
+English visitors. When King Henry looked from the oriel windows of his
+fairy palace, he saw before him a scene of the greatest splendor and the
+most incessant activity. The green space stretching southward from the
+castle was covered with tents of all shapes and sizes, many of them
+brilliant with emblazonry, while from their tops floated rich-colored
+banners and pennons in profusion. Before each tent stood a sentry, his
+lance-point glittering like a jewel in the rays of the June sun. Here
+richly-caparisoned horses were prancing, there sumpter mules laden with
+supplies, and decorated with ribbons and flowers, made their slow way
+onward. Everywhere was movement, everywhere seemed gladness; merriment
+ruled supreme, the hilarity being doubtless heightened by frequent
+visits to gilded fountains, which spouted forth claret and hypocras into
+silver cups from which all might drink. Never had been seen such a
+picture in such a place. The splendor of color and decoration of the
+tents, the shining armor and gorgeous dresses of knights and nobles, the
+brilliancy of the military display, the glittering and gleaming effect
+of the pageant as a whole, rendering fitly applicable the name by which
+this royal<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> festival has since been known, "The Field of the Cloth of
+Gold."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img218.jpg"
+             alt="HENRY THE EIGHTH." /><br />
+         <b>HENRY THE EIGHTH.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>Two leagues separated Arde and Guisnes, two leagues throughout which the
+spectacle extended, rich tents and glittering emblazonry occupying the
+whole space, the canvas habitations of the two nations meeting at the
+dividing-line between England and France. It was a splendid avenue
+arranged for the movements of the monarchs of these two great kingdoms.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the scene: what were the ceremonies? They began with a grand
+procession, headed by Cardinal Wolsey, who, as representative of the
+king of England, made the first move in the game of ostentation. Before
+him rode fifty gentlemen, each wearing a great gold chain, while their
+horses were richly caparisoned with crimson velvet. His ushers, fifty
+other gentlemen, followed, bearing maces of gold which at one end were
+as large as a man's head. Next came a dignitary in crimson velvet,
+proudly carrying the cardinal's cross of gold, adorned with precious
+stones. Four lackeys, attired in cloth of gold and with magnificent
+plumed bonnets in their hands, followed. Then came the cardinal himself,
+man and horse splendidly equipped, his strong and resolute face full of
+the pride and arrogance which marked his character, his bearing that of
+almost regal ostentation. After him followed an array of bishops and
+other churchmen, while a hundred archers of the king's guard completed
+the procession.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Reaching Arde, the cardinal dismounted in front of the royal tent, and,
+in the stateliest manner, did homage in his masters name to Francis, who
+received him with a courteous display of deference and affection. The
+next day the representatives of France returned this visit, with equal
+pomp and parade, and with as kindly a reception from Henry, while the
+English nobles feasted those of France in their lordliest fashion, so
+boisterous being their hospitality that they fairly forced their
+visitors into their tents.</p>
+
+<p>These ceremonial preliminaries passed, the meeting of the two sovereigns
+came next in order. Henry had crossed the channel to greet Francis;
+Francis agreed to be the first to cross the frontier to greet him. June
+7 was the day fixed. On this day the king of France left his tent amid
+the roar of cannon, and, followed by a noble retinue in cloth of gold
+and silver, made his way to the frontier, where was set up a gorgeous
+pavilion, in whose decorations the heraldries of England and France were
+commingled. In this handsome tent the two monarchs were to confer.</p>
+
+<p>About the same time Henry set out, riding a powerful stallion, nobly
+caparisoned. At the border-line between English and French territory the
+two monarchs halted, facing each other, each still on his own soil. Deep
+silence prevailed in the trains, and every eye was fixed on the two
+central figures.</p>
+
+<p>They were strongly contrasted. Francis was tall<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> but rather slight in
+figure, and of delicate features. Henry was stout of form, and massive
+but handsome of face. He had not yet attained those swollen proportions
+of face and figure in which history usually depicts him. Their attire
+was as splendid as art and fashion could produce. Francis was dressed in
+a mantle of cloth of gold, which fell over a jewelled cassock of gold
+frieze. He wore a bonnet of ruby velvet enriched with gems, while the
+front and sleeves of his mantle were splendid with diamonds, rubies,
+emeralds, and "ropes of pearls." He rode a "beautiful horse covered with
+goldsmith's work."</p>
+
+<p>Henry was dressed in cloth of silver damask, studded with gems, and
+ribbed with gold cloth, while his horse was gay with trappings of gold,
+embroidery and mosaic work. Altogether the two men were as splendid in
+appearance as gold, silver, jewelry, and the costliest tissues could
+make them,&mdash;and as different in personal appearance as two men of the
+same race could well be.</p>
+
+<p>The occasion was not alone a notable one, it was to some extent a
+critical one. For centuries the meetings of French and English kings had
+been hostile; could they now be trusted to be peaceful? Might not the
+sword of the past be hidden in the olive-branch of the present? Suppose
+the lords of France should seize and hold captive the English king, or
+the English lords act with like treachery towards the French king, what
+years of the out-pouring of blood and treasure might follow!
+Ap<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>prehensions of such treachery were not wanting. The followers of
+Francis looked with doubt on the armed men in Henry's escort. The
+English courtiers in like manner viewed with eyes of question the
+archers and cavaliers in the train of Francis. Lord Abergavenny ran to
+King Henry as he was about to mount for the ride to the French frontier.</p>
+
+<p>"Sire," he said, anxiously, "ye be my lord and sovereign; wherefore,
+above all, I am bound to show you the truth and not be let for none. I
+have been in the French party, and they be more in number,&mdash;double so
+many as ye be."</p>
+
+<p>"Sire," answered Lord Shrewsbury, "whatever my lord of Abergavenny
+sayeth, I myself have been there, and the Frenchmen be more in fear of
+you and your subjects than your subjects be of them. Wherefore, if I
+were worthy to give counsel, your grace should march forward."</p>
+
+<p>Bluff King Harry had no thought of doing anything else. The doubt which
+shook the souls of some of his followers, did not enter his.</p>
+
+<p>"So we intend, my lord," he briefly answered, and rode forward.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the two kings remained face to face, gazing upon each other
+in silence. Then came a burst of music, and, spurring their horses, they
+galloped forward, and in an instant were hand in hand. Three times they
+embraced; then, dismounting, they again embraced, and walked arm in arm
+towards the pavilion. Brief was the conference within, the constables of
+France and England<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> keeping strict ward outside, with swords held at
+salute. Not till the monarchs emerged was the restraint broken. Then
+Henry and Francis were presented to the dignitaries of the opposite
+nation, their escorts fraternized, barrels of wine were broached, and as
+the wine-cups were drained the toast, "Good friends, French and
+English," was cheerily repeated from both sides. The nobles were
+emulated in this by their followers, and the good fellowship of the
+meeting was signalized by abundant revelry, night only ending the
+merrymaking.</p>
+
+<p>Friday, Saturday, and Sunday passed in exchange of courtesies, and in
+preparations for the tournament which was to be the great event of the
+occasion. On Sunday afternoon Henry crossed the frontier to do homage to
+the queen of France, and Francis offered the same tribute to the English
+queen. Henry rode to Arde in a dress that was heavy with gold and
+jewels, and was met by the queen and her ladies, whose beauty was
+adorned with the richest gems and tissues and the rarest laces that the
+wealth and taste of the time could command. The principal event of the
+reception was a magnificent dinner, whose service was so rich and its
+viands so rare and costly that the chronicler confesses himself unequal
+to the task of describing it. Music, song, and dancing filled up the
+intervals between the courses, and all went merrily until five o'clock,
+when Henry took his leave, entertaining the ladies as he did so with an
+exhibition of his horsemanship, he making<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> his steed to "bound and
+curvet as valiantly as man could do." On his road home he met Francis,
+returning from a like reception by the queen of England. "What cheer?"
+asked the two kings as they cordially embraced, with such a show of
+amity that one might have supposed them brothers born.</p>
+
+<p>The next day was that set for the opening of the tournament. This was to
+be held in a park on the high ground between Arde and Guisnes. On each
+side of the enclosed space long galleries, hung with tapestry, were
+erected for the spectators, a specially-adorned box being prepared for
+the two queens. Triumphal arches marked each entrance to the lists, at
+which stood French and English archers on guard. At the foot of the
+lists was erected the "tree of noblesse," on which were to be hung the
+shields of those about to engage in combat. It bore "the noble thorn
+[the sign of Henry] entwined with raspberry" [the sign of Francis];
+around its trunk was wound cloth of gold and green damask; its leaves
+were formed of green silk, and the fruit that hung from its limb was
+made of silver and Venetian gold.</p>
+
+<p>Henry and Francis, each supported by some eighteen of their noblest
+subjects, designed to hold the lists against all comers, it being,
+however, strictly enjoined that sharp-pointed weapons should not be
+used, lest serious accidents, as in times past, might take place.
+Various other rules were made, of which we shall only name that which
+required the challenger who was worsted in any combat to give<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> "a gold
+token to the lady in whose cause the comer fights."</p>
+
+<p>Shall we tell the tale of this show of mimic war? Splendid it was, and,
+unlike the tournaments of an older date, harmless. The lists were nine
+hundred feet long and three hundred and twenty broad, the galleries
+bordering them being magnificent with their hosts of richly-attired
+lords and ladies and the vari-colored dresses of the archers and others
+of lesser blood. For two days, Monday and Thursday, Henry and Francis
+held the lists. In this sport Henry displayed the skill and prowess of a
+true warrior. Francis could scarcely wield the swords which his brother
+king swept in circles around his head. When he spurred, with couched
+lance, upon an antagonist, his ease and grace aroused the plaudits of
+the spectators, which became enthusiastic as saddle after saddle was
+emptied by the vigor of his thrust.</p>
+
+<p>Next to Henry in strength and prowess was Charles Brandon, Duke of
+Suffolk, who vied with the king for the honors of the field. "The king
+of England and Suffolk did marvels," says the chronicler. On the days
+when the monarchs did not appear in the field lesser knights strove for
+the honors of the joust, wrestling-matches helped to amuse the multitude
+of spectators, and the antics of mummers wound up the sports of the day.
+Only once did Henry and Francis come into friendly contest. This was in
+a wrestling-match, from which the French king, to the surprise of the
+spectators,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> carried off the honors. By a clever twist of the wrestler's
+art, he managed to throw his burly brother king. Henry's face was red
+with the hot Tudor blood when he rose, his temper had been lost in his
+fall, and there was anger in the tone in which he demanded a renewal of
+the contest. But Francis was too wise to fan a triumph into a quarrel,
+and by mild words succeeded in smoothing the frown from Henry's brow.</p>
+
+<p>For some two weeks these entertainments lasted, the genial June sun
+shining auspiciously upon the lists. From the galleries shone two minor
+luminaries, the queens of England and France, who were always present,
+"with their ladies richly dressed in jewels, and with many chariots,
+litters, and hackneys covered with cloth of gold and silver, and
+emblazoned with their arms." They occupied a glazed gallery hung with
+tapestry, where they were often seen in conversation, a pleasure not so
+readily enjoyed by their ladies in waiting, most of whom had to do their
+talking through the vexatious aid of an interpreter.</p>
+
+<p>During most of the time through which the tournament extended the
+distrust of treachery on one side or the other continued. Francis never
+entered the English pale unless Henry was on French soil. Henry was
+similarly distrustful. Or, rather, the distrust lay in the advisers of
+the monarchs, and as the days went on grew somewhat offensive. Francis
+was the first to break it, and to show his confidence in the good faith
+of his brother monarch.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> One morning early he crossed the frontier and
+entered the palace at Guisnes while Henry was still in bed, or, as some
+say, was at breakfast. To the guards at the gate he playfully said,
+"Surrender your arms, you are all my prisoners; and now conduct me to my
+brother of England." He accosted Henry with the utmost cordiality,
+embracing him and saying, in a merry tone,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Here you see I am your prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>"My brother," cried Henry, with the wannest pleasure, "you have played
+me the most agreeable trick in the world, and have showed me the full
+confidence I may place in you. I surrender myself your prisoner from
+this moment."</p>
+
+<p>Costly presents passed between the two monarchs, and from that moment
+all restraint was at an end. Each rode to see the other when he chose,
+their attendants mingled with the same freedom and confidence, and
+during the whole time not a quarrel, or even a dispute, arose between
+the sons of England and France. In the lists they used spear and sword
+with freedom, but out of them they were the warmest of friends.</p>
+
+<p>On Sunday, June 24, the tournament closed with a solemn mass sung by
+Wolsey, who was assisted by the ecclesiastics of the two lands. When the
+gospels were presented to the two kings to kiss, there was a friendly
+contest as to who should precede. And at the <i>Agnus Dei</i>, when the <i>Pax</i>
+was presented to the two queens, a like contest arose, which ended in
+their kissing each other in lieu of the sacred emblem.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At the close of the services a showy piece of fireworks attracted the
+attention of the spectators. "There appeared in the air from Arde a
+great artificial salamander or dragon, four fathoms long and full of
+fire; many were frightened, thinking it a comet or some monster, as they
+could see nothing to which it was attached; it passed right over the
+chapel to Guisnes as fast as a footman can go, and as high as a bolt
+from a cross-bow." A splendid banquet followed, which concluded the
+festivities of the "Field of the Cloth of Gold." The two kings entered
+the lists again, but now only to exchange farewells. Henry made his way
+to Calais; Francis returned to Abbeyville: the great occasion was at an
+end.</p>
+
+<p>What was its result? Amity between the two nations; a century of peace
+and friendship? Not so. In a month Henry had secretly allied himself to
+Charles the Fifth against Francis of France. In five years was fought
+the battle of Pavia, between France and the Emperor Charles, in which
+Francis, after showing great valor on the field, was taken prisoner.
+"All is lost, except honor," he wrote. Such was the sequel of the "Field
+of the Cloth of Gold."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE STORY OF ARABELLA STUART.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Of royal blood was the lady here named, near to the English throne. Too
+near, as it proved, for her own comfort and happiness, for her life was
+distracted by the fears of those that filled it. Her story, in
+consequence, became one of the romances of English history.</p>
+
+<p>"The Lady Arabella," as she was called, was nearly related to Queen
+Elizabeth, and became an object of jealous persecution by that royal
+lady. The great Elizabeth had in her disposition something of the dog in
+the manger. She would not marry herself, and thus provide for the
+succession to the throne, and she was determined that the fair Arabella
+should not perform this neglected duty. Hence Arabella's misery.</p>
+
+<p>The first thing we hear of this unfortunate scion of royal blood
+concerns a marriage. The whole story of her life, in fact, is concerned
+with marriage, and its fatal ending was the result of marriage. Never
+had a woman been more sought in marriage; never more hindered; her life
+was a tragedy of marriage.</p>
+
+<p>Her earlier story may be briefly given. James VI. of Scotland, cousin of
+the Lady Arabella, chose as a husband for her another cousin, Lord Esme<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>
+Stuart, Duke of Lennox, his proposed heir. The match was a desirable
+one, but Queen Elizabeth forbade the banns. She threw the lady into a
+prison, and defied King James when he demanded her delivery, not
+hesitating to speak with contempt of her brother monarch.</p>
+
+<p>The next to choose a husband for Arabella was the pope, who would have
+been delighted to provide a Catholic for the succession to the English
+throne. A prince of the house of Savoy was the choice of his holiness.
+The Duke of Parma was married, and his brother was a cardinal, and
+therefore unmarriageable, but the pope had the power to overcome the
+difficulty which this created. He secularized the churchman, and made
+him an eligible aspirant for the lady's hand. But, as may well be
+supposed, Elizabeth decisively vetoed this chimerical plan.</p>
+
+<p>To escape from the plots of scheming politicians, the Lady Arabella now
+took the task in her own hand, proposing to marry a son of the Earl of
+Northumberland. Unhappily, Elizabeth would none of it. To her jealous
+fancy an English earl was more dangerous than a Scotch duke. Thus went
+on this extraordinary business till Elizabeth died, and King James of
+Scotland, whom she had despised, became her successor on the throne, she
+having paved the way to his succession by her neglect to provide an heir
+for it herself, and her insensate determination to prevent Arabella
+Stuart from doing so.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>James was now king. He had chosen a husband for his cousin Arabella
+before. It was a natural presumption that he would not object to her
+marriage now. But if Elizabeth was jealous, he was suspicious. A foolish
+plot was made by some unimportant individuals to get rid of the Scottish
+king and place Arabella on the English throne. A letter to this effect
+was sent to the lady. She laughed at it, and sent it to the king, who,
+probably, did not consider it a laughing-matter.</p>
+
+<p>This was in 1603. In 1604 the king of Poland is said to have asked for
+the lady's hand in marriage. Count Maurice, Duke of Guildres, was also
+spoken of as a suitable match. But James had grown as obdurate as
+Elizabeth,&mdash;and with as little sense and reason. The lady might enjoy
+life in single blessedness as she pleased, but marry she should not.
+"Thus far to the Lady Arabella crowns and husbands were like a fairy
+banquet seen at moonlight opening on her sight, impalpable, and
+vanishing at the moment of approach."</p>
+
+<p>Several years now passed, in which the lady lived as a dependant on the
+king's bounty, and in which, so far as we know, no thoughts of marriage
+were entertained. At least, no projects of marriage were made public,
+whatever may have been the lady's secret thoughts and wishes. Then came
+the romantic event of her life,&mdash;a marriage, and its striking
+consequences. It is this event which has made her name remembered in the
+romance of history.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Christmas of 1608 had passed, and the Lady Arabella was still unmarried;
+the English crown had not tottered to its fall through the entrance of
+this fair maiden into the bonds of matrimony. The year 1609 began, and
+terror seized the English court; this insatiable woman was reaching out
+for another husband! This time the favored swain was Mr. William
+Seymour, the second son of Lord Beauchamp, and grandson of the earl of
+Hertford. He was a man of admired character, a studious scholar in times
+of peace, an ardent soldier in times of war. He and Arabella had known
+each other from childhood.</p>
+
+<p>In February the daring rebellion of the Lady Arabella became known, and
+sent its shaft of terror to the heart of King James. The woman was at it
+again, wanting to marry; she must be dealt with. She and Seymour were
+summoned before the privy council and sharply questioned. Seymour was
+harshly censured. How dared he presume to seek an alliance with one of
+royal blood, he was asked, in blind disregard of the fact that royal
+blood ran in his own veins.</p>
+
+<p>He showed fitting humility before the council, pleading that he meant no
+offence. Thus he told the dignified councillors the story of his
+wooing,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I boldly intruded myself into her ladyship's chamber in this court on
+Candlemas-day last, at which time I imparted my desire unto her, which
+was entertained, but with this caution on either part, that both of us
+resolved not to proceed to any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> final conclusion without his Majesty's
+most gracious favor first obtained. And this was our first meeting.
+After this we had a second meeting at Brigg's house in Fleet Street, and
+then a third at Mr. Baynton's; at both of which we had the like
+conference and resolution as before."</p>
+
+<p>Neither of them would think of marrying without "his Majesty's most
+gracious favor," they declared. This favor could not be granted. The
+safety of the English crown had to be considered. The lovers were
+admonished by the privy council and dismissed.</p>
+
+<p>But love laughs at privy councils, as well as at locksmiths. This time
+the Lady Arabella was not to be hindered. She and Seymour were secretly
+married, without regard to "his Majesty's most gracious favor," and
+enjoyed a short period of connubial bliss in defiance of king and
+council.</p>
+
+<p>Their offence was not discovered till July of the following year. It
+roused a small convulsion in court circles. The king had been defied.
+The culprits must be punished. The lovers&mdash;for they were still
+lovers&mdash;were separated, Seymour being sent to the Tower, for "his
+contempt in marrying a lady of the royal family without the king's
+leave;" the lady being confined at the house of Sir Thomas Parry, at
+Lambeth.</p>
+
+<p>Their confinement was not rigorous. The lady was allowed to walk in the
+garden. The gentleman was given the freedom of the Tower. Letters seem
+to have passed between them. From one of these ancient love-letters we
+may quote the affec<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>tionate conclusion. Seymour had taken cold. Arabella
+writes:</p>
+
+<p>"I do assure you that nothing the State can do with me can trouble me so
+much as this news of your being ill doth; and, you see, when I am
+troubled I trouble you with too tedious kindness, for so I think you
+will account so long a letter, yourself not having written to me this
+good while so much as how you do. But, sweet sir, I speak not of this to
+trouble you with writing but when you please. Be well, and I shall
+account myself happy in being</p>
+
+<p><span style="margin-left: 6em;">"Your faithful, loving wife.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 10em;" class="smcap">Arb. S."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>They wrote too much, it seems. Their correspondence was discovered.
+Trouble ensued. The king determined to place the lady in closer
+confinement under the bishop of Durham.</p>
+
+<p>Arabella was in despair when this news was brought her. She grew so ill
+from her depression of spirits that she could only travel to her new
+place of detention in a litter and under the care of a physician. On
+reaching Highgate she had become unfit to proceed, her pulse weak, her
+countenance pale and wan. The doctor left her there and returned to
+town, where he reported to the king that the lady was too sick to
+travel.</p>
+
+<p>"She shall proceed to Durham if I am king," answered James, with his
+usual weak-headed obstinacy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I make no doubt of her obedience," answered the doctor.</p>
+
+<p>"Obedience is what I require," replied the king. "That given, I will do
+more for her than she expects."</p>
+
+<p>He consented, in the end, that she should remain a month at Highgate,
+under confinement, at the end of which time she should proceed to
+Durham. The month passed. She wrote a letter to the king which procured
+her a second month's respite. But that time, too, passed on, and the day
+fixed for her further journey approached.</p>
+
+<p>The lady now showed none of the wild grief which she had at first
+displayed. She was resigned to her fate, she said, and manifested a
+tender sorrow which won the hearts of her keepers, who could not but
+sympathize with a high-born lady thus persecuted for what was assuredly
+no crime, if even a fault.</p>
+
+<p>At heart, however, she was by no means so tranquil as she seemed. Her
+communications with Seymour had secretly continued, and the two had
+planned a wildly-romantic project of escape, of which this seeming
+resignation was but part. The day preceding that fixed for her departure
+arrived. The lady had persuaded an attendant to aid her in paying a last
+visit to her husband, whom she declared she must see before going to her
+distant prison. She would return at a fixed hour. The attendant could
+wait for her at an appointed place.</p>
+
+<p>This credulous servant, led astray, doubtless, by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> sympathy with the
+loving couple, not only consented to the request, but assisted the lady
+in assuming an elaborate disguise.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img235.jpg"
+             alt="ROTTEN ROW. LONDON." /><br />
+         <b>ROTTEN ROW. LONDON.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>"She drew," we are told, "a pair of large French-fashioned hose or
+trousers over her petticoats, put on a man's doublet or coat, a peruke
+such as men wore, whose long locks covered her own ringlets, a black
+hat, a black coat, russet boots with red tops, and a rapier by her side.
+Thus accoutred, the Lady Arabella stole out with a gentleman about three
+o'clock in the afternoon. She had only proceeded a mile and a half when
+they stopped at a post-inn, where one of her confederates was waiting
+with horses; yet she was so sick and faint that the hostler who held her
+stirrup observed that the gentleman could hardly hold out to London."</p>
+
+<p>But the "gentleman" grew stronger as she proceeded. The exercise of
+riding gave her new spirit. Her pale face grew rosy; her strength
+increased; by six o'clock she reached Blackwall, where a boat and
+servants were waiting. The plot had been well devised and all the
+necessary preparations made.</p>
+
+<p>The boatmen were bidden to row to Woolwich. This point reached, they
+were asked to proceed to Gravesend. Then they rowed on to Tilbury. By
+this time they were fatigued, and landed for rest and refreshment. But
+the desired goal had not yet been reached, and an offer of higher pay
+induced them to push on to Lee.</p>
+
+<p>Here the fugitive lady rested till daybreak. The light of morn
+discovered a French vessel at anchor<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> off the harbor, which was quickly
+boarded. It had been provided for the escape of the lovers. But Seymour,
+who had planned to escape from the Tower and meet her here, had not
+arrived. Arabella was desirous that the vessel should continue at anchor
+until he appeared. If he should fail to come she did not care to
+proceed. The land that held her lord was the land in which she wished to
+dwell, even if they should be parted by fate and forced to live asunder.</p>
+
+<p>This view did not please those who were aiding her escape. They would be
+pursued, and might be overtaken. Delay was dangerous. In disregard of
+her wishes, they ordered the captain to put to sea. As events turned
+out, their haste proved unfortunate for the fair fugitive, and the
+"cause of woes unnumbered" to the loving pair.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving her to her journey, we must return to the adventures of Seymour.
+Prisoner at large, as he was, in the Tower, escape proved not difficult.
+A cart had entered the enclosure to bring wood to his apartment. On its
+departure he followed it through the gates, unobserved by the warder.
+His servant was left behind, with orders to keep all visitors from the
+room, on pretence that his master was laid up with a raging toothache.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the river, the escaped prisoner found a man in his confidence
+in waiting with a boat. He was rowed down the stream to Lee, where he
+expected to find his Arabella in waiting. She was not there, but in the
+distance was a vessel which he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> fancied might have her on board. He
+hired a fisherman to take him out. Hailing the vessel, he inquired its
+name, and to his grief learned that it was not the French ship which had
+been hired for the lovers' flight. Fate had separated them. Filled with
+despair, he took passage on a vessel from Newcastle, whose captain was
+induced, for a fair consideration, to alter his course. In due time he
+landed in Flanders, free, but alone. He was never to set eyes on
+Arabella Stuart again.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the escape of the lady from Highgate had become known, and
+had aroused almost as much alarm as if some frightful calamity had
+overtaken the State. Confusion and alarm pervaded the court. The
+Gunpowder Plot itself hardly shook up the gray heads of King James's
+cabinet more than did the flight of this pair of parted doves. The wind
+seemed to waft peril. The minutes seemed fraught with threats. Couriers
+were despatched in all haste to the neighboring seaports, and hurry
+everywhere prevailed.</p>
+
+<p>A messenger was sent to the Tower, bidding the lieutenant to guard
+Seymour with double vigilance. To the surprise of the worthy lieutenant,
+he discovered that Seymour was not there to be guarded. The bird had
+flown. Word of this threw King James into a ludicrous state of terror.
+He wished to issue a vindictive proclamation, full of hot fulminations,
+and could scarcely be persuaded by his minister to tone down his foolish
+utterances. The revised edict was sent off with as much speed as if<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> an
+enemy's fleet were in the offing, the courier being urged to his utmost
+despatch, the postmasters aroused to activity by the stirring
+superscription, "Haste, haste, post-haste! Haste for your life, your
+life!" One might have thought that a new Norman invasion was threatening
+the coast, instead of a pair of new-married lovers flying to finish
+their honey-moon in peace and freedom abroad.</p>
+
+<p>When news of what had happened reached the family of the Seymours, it
+threw them into a state of alarm not less than that of the king. They
+knew what it meant to offend the crown. The progenitor of the family,
+the Duke of Somerset, had lost his head through some offence to a king,
+and his descendants had no ambition to be similarly curtailed of their
+natural proportions. Francis Seymour wrote to his uncle, the Earl of
+Hertford, then distant from London, telling the story of the flight of
+his brother and the lady. This letter still exists, and its appearance
+indicates the terror into which it threw the earl. It reached him at
+midnight. With it came a summons to attend the privy council. He read it
+apparently by the light of a taper, and with such agitation that the
+sheet caught fire. The scorched letter still exists, and is burnt
+through at the most critical part of its story. The poor old earl
+learned enough to double his terror, and lost the section that would
+have alleviated it. He hastened up to London in a state of doubt and
+fear, not knowing but that he was about to be indicted for high
+treason.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, what had become of the disconsolate Lady Arabella? The poor
+bride found herself alone upon the seas, mourning for her lost Seymour,
+imploring her attendants to delay, straining her eyes in hopes of seeing
+some boat bearing to her him she so dearly loved. It was in vain. No
+Seymour appeared. And the delay in her flight proved fatal. The French
+ship which bore her was overtaken in Calais roads by one of the king's
+vessels which had been so hastily despatched in pursuit, and the lady
+was taken on board and brought back, protesting that she cared not what
+became of her if her dear Seymour should only escape.</p>
+
+<p>The story ends mournfully. The sad-hearted bride was consigned to an
+imprisonment that preyed heavily upon her. Never very strong, her sorrow
+and depression of spirits reduced her powers, while, with the hope that
+she might die the sooner, she refused the aid of physicians. Grief,
+despair, intense emotion, in time impaired her reason, and at the end of
+four years of prison life she died, her mind having died before. Rarely
+has a simple and innocent marriage produced such sad results through the
+uncalled-for jealousy of kings. The sad romance of the poor Lady
+Arabella's life was due to the fact that she had an unreasonable woman
+to deal with in Elizabeth, and a suspicious fool in James. Sound
+common-sense must say that neither had aught to gain from this
+persecution of the poor lady, who they were so obstinately determined
+should end life a maid.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Seymour spent some years abroad, and then was permitted to return to
+England. His wife was dead; the king had naught to fear. He lived
+through three successive reigns, distinguishing himself by his loyalty
+to James and his two successors, and to the day of his death retaining
+his warm affection for his first love. He married again, and to the
+daughter born from this match he gave the name of Arabella Stuart, in
+token of his undying attachment to the lady of his life's romance.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>LOVE'S KNIGHT-ERRANT.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>On the 18th of February, 1623, two young men, Tom and John Smith by
+name, plainly dressed and attended by one companion in the attire of an
+upper-servant, rode to the ferry at Gravesend, on the Thames. They wore
+heavy beards, which did not look altogether natural, and had pulled
+their hats well down over their foreheads, as if to hide their faces
+from prying eyes. They seemed a cross between disguised highwaymen and
+disguised noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>The ancient ferryman looked at them with some suspicion as they entered
+his boat, asking himself, "What lark is afoot with these young bloods?
+There's mischief lurking under those beards."</p>
+
+<p>His suspicions were redoubled when his passengers, in arbitrary tones,
+bade him put them ashore below the town, instead of at the usual
+landing-place. And he became sure that they were great folks bent on
+mischief when, on landing, one of them handed him a gold-piece for his
+fare, and rode away without asking for change.</p>
+
+<p>"Aha! my brisk lads, I have you now," he said, with a chuckle. "There's
+a duel afoot. Those two youngsters are off for the other side of the
+Channel, to let out some angry blood, and the other goes along as second
+or surgeon. It's very neat,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> but the law says nay; and I know my duty. I
+am not to be bought off with a piece of gold."</p>
+
+<p>Pocketing his golden fare, he hastened to the nearest magistrate, and
+told his story and his suspicion. The magistrate agreed with him, and at
+once despatched a post-boy to Rochester, with orders to have the
+doubtful travellers stopped. Away rode the messenger at haste, on one of
+the freshest horses to be found in Gravesend stables. But his steed was
+no match for the thoroughbreds of the suspected wayfarers, and they had
+left the ancient town of Rochester in the rear long before he reached
+its skirts.</p>
+
+<p>Rochester passed, they rode briskly onward, conversing with the gay
+freedom of frolicsome youth; when, much to their alarm as it seemed,
+they saw in the road before them a stately train. It consisted of a
+carriage that appeared royal in its decorations and in the glittering
+trappings of its horses, beside which rode two men dressed like
+noblemen, following whom came a goodly retinue of attendants.</p>
+
+<p>The young wayfarers seemed to recognize the travellers, and drew up to a
+quick halt, as if in alarm.</p>
+
+<p>"Lewknor and Mainwaring, by all that's unlucky!" said the one known as
+Tom Smith.</p>
+
+<p>"And a carriage-load of Spanish high mightiness between them; for that's
+the ambassador on his way to court," answered John Smith. "It's all up
+with our escapade if they get their eyes on us. We must bolt."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"How and whither?"</p>
+
+<p>"Over the hedge and far away."</p>
+
+<p>Spurring their horses, they broke through the low hedge that bordered
+the road-side, and galloped at a rapid pace across the fields beyond.
+The approaching party viewed this movement with lively suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>"Who can they be?" queried Sir Lewis Lewknor, one of the noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>His companion, who was no less a personage than Sir Henry Mainwaring,
+lieutenant of Dover Castle, looked questioningly after the fugitives.</p>
+
+<p>"They are well mounted and have the start on us. We cannot overtake
+them," he muttered.</p>
+
+<p>"You know them, then?" asked Lewknor.</p>
+
+<p>"I have my doubt that two of them are the young Barneveldts, who have
+just tried to murder the Prince of Orange. They must be stopped and
+questioned."</p>
+
+<p>He turned and bade one of his followers to ride back with all speed to
+Canterbury, and bid the magistrates to detain three suspicious
+travellers, who would soon reach that town. This done, the train moved
+on, Mainwaring satisfied that he had checked the runaways, whoever they
+were.</p>
+
+<p>The Smiths and their attendant reached Canterbury in good time, but this
+time they were outridden. Mainwaring's messenger had got in before them,
+and the young adventurers found themselves stopped by a mounted guard,
+with the unwelcome tidings that his honor, the mayor, would like to see
+them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Being brought before his honor, they blustered a little, talked in big
+tones of the rights of Englishmen, and asked angrily who had dared order
+their detention. They found master mayor cool and decided.</p>
+
+<p>"Gentlemen, you will stay here till I know better who you are," he said.
+"Sir Henry Mainwaring has ordered you to be stopped, and he best knows
+why. Nor do I fancy he has gone amiss, for your names of Tom and John
+Smith fit you about as well as your beards."</p>
+
+<p>At these words, the one that claimed the name of John Smith burst into a
+hearty laugh. Seizing his beard, he gave it a slight jerk, and it came
+off in his hand. The mayor started in surprise. The face before him was
+one that he very well knew.</p>
+
+<p>"The Marquis of Buckingham!" he exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"The same, at your service," said Buckingham, still laughing.
+"Mainwaring takes me for other than I am. Likely enough he deems me a
+runaway road-agent. You will scarcely stop the lord admiral, going in
+disguise to Dover to make a secret inspection of the fleet?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, that certainly changes the case," said the mayor. "But who is your
+companion?" he continued, in a low tone, looking askance at the other.</p>
+
+<p>"A young gallant of the court, who keeps me company," said Buckingham,
+carelessly.</p>
+
+<p>"The road is free before you, gentlemen," said the mayor, graciously. "I
+will answer to Mainwaring."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He turned and bade his guards to deliver their horses to the travellers.
+But his eyes followed them with a peculiar twinkle as they left the
+room.</p>
+
+<p>"A young gallant of the court!" he muttered. "I have seen that gallant
+before. Well, well, what mad frolic is afoot? Thank the stars, I am not
+bound, by virtue of my office, to know him."</p>
+
+<p>The party reached Dover without further adventure. But the inspection of
+the fleet was evidently an invention for the benefit of the mayor.
+Instead of troubling themselves about the fleet, they entered a vessel
+that seemed awaiting them, and on whose deck they were joined by two
+companions. In a very short time they were out of harbor and off with a
+fresh wind across the Channel. Mainwaring had been wrong,&mdash;was the
+ferryman right?&mdash;was a duel the purpose of this flight in disguise?</p>
+
+<p>No; the travellers made no halt at Boulogne, the favorite
+duelling-ground of English hot-bloods, but pushed off in haste for
+Montreuil, and thence rode straight to Paris, which they reached after a
+two-days' journey.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed an odd freak, this ride in disguise for the mere purpose of a
+visit to Paris. But there was nothing to indicate that the two young men
+had any other object as they strolled carelessly during the next day
+about the French capital, known to none there, and enjoying themselves
+like school-boys on a holiday.</p>
+
+<p>Among the sights which they managed to see were the king, Louis XIII.,
+and his royal mother,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> Marie de Medicis. That evening a mask was to be
+rehearsed at the palace, in which the queen and the Princess Henrietta
+Maria were to take part. On the plea of being strangers in Paris, the
+two young Englishmen managed to obtain admittance to this royal
+merrymaking, which they highly enjoyed. As to what they saw, we have a
+partial record in a subsequent letter from one of them.</p>
+
+<p>"There danced," says this epistle, "the queen and madame, with as many
+as made up nineteen fair dancing ladies; amongst which the queen is the
+handsomest, which hath wrought in me a greater desire to see her
+sister."</p>
+
+<p>This sister was then at Madrid, for the queen of France was a daughter
+of Philip III. of Spain. And, as if Spain was the true destination of
+the travellers, and to see the French queen's sister their object, at
+the early hour of three the next morning they were up and on horseback,
+riding out of Paris on the road to Bayonne. Away they went, pressing
+onward at speed, he whom we as yet know only as Tom Smith taking the
+lead, and pushing forward with such youthful eagerness that even the
+seasoned Buckingham looked the worse for wear before they reached the
+borders of Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Who was this eager errant knight? All London by this time knew, and it
+is time that we should learn. Indeed, while the youthful wayfarers were
+speeding away on their mad and merry ride, the privy councillors of
+England were on their knees before King James, half beside themselves
+with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> apprehension, saying that Prince Charles had disappeared, that the
+rumor was that he had gone to Spain, and begging to know if this wild
+rumor were true.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no doubt of it," said the king. "But what of that? His father,
+his grandfather, and his great-grandfather all went into foreign
+countries to fetch home their wives,&mdash;why not the prince, my son?"</p>
+
+<p>"England may learn why," was the answer of the alarmed councillors, and
+after them of the disturbed country. "The king of Spain is not to be
+trusted with such a royal morsel. Suppose he seizes the heir to
+England's throne, and holds him as hostage! The boy is mad, and the king
+in his dotage to permit so wild a thing." Such was the scope of general
+comment on the prince's escapade.</p>
+
+<p>While England fumed, and King James had begun to fret in chorus with the
+country, his "sweet boys and dear venturous knights, worthy to be put in
+a new romanso," as he had remarked on first learning of their flight,
+were making their way at utmost horse-speed across France. A few miles
+beyond Bayonne they met a messenger from the Earl of Bristol, ambassador
+at Madrid, bearing despatches to England. They stopped him, opened his
+papers, and sought to read them, but found the bulk of them written in a
+cipher beyond their powers to solve. Baffled in this, they bade Gresley,
+the messenger, to return with them as far as Irun, as they wished him to
+bear to the king a letter written on Spanish soil.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>No great distance farther brought them to the small river Bidassoa, the
+Rubicon of their journey. It formed the boundary between France and
+Spain. On reaching its southern bank they stood on the soil of the land
+of the dons, and the truant prince danced for joy, filled with delight
+at the success of his runaway prank. Gresley afterwards reported in
+England that Buckingham looked worn from his long ride, but that he had
+never seen Prince Charles so merry.</p>
+
+<p>Onward through this new kingdom went the youthful scapegraces, over the
+hills and plains of Spain, their hearts beating with merry
+music,&mdash;Buckingham gay from his native spirit of adventure, Charles
+eager to see in knight-errant fashion the charming infanta of Spain, of
+whom he had seen, as yet, only the "counterfeit presentment," and a view
+of whom in person was the real object of his journey. So ardent were the
+two young men that they far outrode their companions, and at eight
+o'clock in the evening of March 7, seventeen days after they had left
+Buckingham's villa at Newhall, the truant pair were knocking briskly at
+the door of the Earl of Bristol at Madrid.</p>
+
+<p>Wilder and more perilous escapade had rarely been adventured. The king
+had let them go with fear and trembling. Weak-willed monarch as he was,
+he could not resist Buckingham's persuasions, though he dreaded the
+result. The uncertain temper of Philip of Spain was well-known, the
+preliminaries of the marriage which had been designed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> between Charles
+and the infanta were far from settled, the political relations between
+England and Spain were not of the most pacific, and it was within the
+bounds of probability that Philip might seize and hold the heir of
+England. It would give him a vast advantage over the sister realm, and
+profit had been known to outweigh honor in the minds of potentates.</p>
+
+<p>Heedless of all this, sure that his appearance would dispel the clouds
+that hung over the marriage compact and shed the sunshine of peace and
+union over the two kingdoms, giddy with the hopefulness of youth, and
+infected with Buckingham's love of gallantry and adventure, Charles
+reached Madrid without a thought of peril, wild to see the infanta in
+his new r&ocirc;le of knight-errant, and to decide for himself whether the
+beauty and accomplishments for which she was famed were as patent to his
+eye as to the voice of common report, and such as made her worthy the
+love of a prince of high degree.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the mood and such the hopes with which the romantic prince
+knocked at Lord Bristol's door. But such was not the feeling with which
+the practised diplomat received his visitors. He saw at a glance the
+lake of possible mischief before him; yet he was versed in the art of
+keeping his countenance serene, and received his guests as cordially as
+if they had called on him in his London mansion.</p>
+
+<p>Bristol would have kept the coming of the prince<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> to himself, if it had
+been possible. But the utmost he could hope was to keep the secret for
+that night, and even in this he failed. Count Gondomar, a Spanish
+diplomat, called on him, saw his visitors, and while affecting ignorance
+was not for an instant deceived. On leaving Bristol's house he at once
+hurried to the royal palace, and, filled with his weighty tidings, burst
+upon Count Olivares, the king's favorite, at supper. Gondomar's face was
+beaming. Olivares looked at him in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"What brings you so late?" he asked. "One would think that you had got
+the king of England in Madrid."</p>
+
+<p>"If I have not got the king," replied Gondomar, "at least I have got the
+prince. You cannot ask a rarer prize."</p>
+
+<p>Olivares sat stupefied at the astounding news. As soon as he could find
+words he congratulated Gondomar on his important tidings and quickly
+hastened to find the king, who was in his bed-chamber, and whom he
+astonished with the tale he had to tell.</p>
+
+<p>The monarch and his astute minister earnestly discussed the subject in
+all its bearings. On one point they felt sure. The coming of Charles to
+Spain was evidence to them that he intended to change his religion and
+embrace the Catholic faith. He would never have ventured otherwise. But,
+to "make assurance doubly sure," Philip turned to a crucifix which stood
+at the head of his bed, and swore on it that the coming of the Prince of
+Wales<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> should not induce him to take a step in the marriage not favored
+by the pope, even if it should involve the loss of his kingdom.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img251.jpg"
+             alt="THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID." /><br />
+         <b>THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>"As to what is temporal and mine," he said, to Olivares, "see that all
+his wishes are gratified, in consideration of the obligation under which
+he has placed us by coming here."</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Bristol spent the night in the false belief that the secret
+was still his own. He summoned Gondomar in the morning, told him, with a
+show of conferring a favor, of what had occurred, and bade him to tell
+Olivares that Buckingham had arrived, but to say nothing about the
+prince. That Gondomar consented need not be said. He had already told
+all there was to tell. In the afternoon Buckingham and Olivares had a
+brief interview in the gardens of the palace. After nightfall the
+English marquis had the honor of kissing the hand of his Catholic
+Majesty, Philip IV. of Spain. He told the king of the arrival of Prince
+Charles, much to the seeming surprise of the monarch, who had learned
+the art of keeping his countenance.</p>
+
+<p>During the next day a mysterious silence was preserved concerning the
+great event, through certain unusual proceedings took place. Philip,
+with the queen, his sister, the infanta, and his two brothers, drove
+backward and forward through the streets of Madrid. In another carriage
+the Prince of Wales made a similarly stately progress through the same
+streets, the purpose being to yield him a passing glimpse of his
+betrothed and the royal<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> family. The streets were thronged, all eyes
+were fixed on the coach containing the strangers, yet silence reigned.
+The rumor had spread far and wide who those strangers were, but it was a
+secret, and no one must show that the secret was afoot. Yet, though
+their voices were silent, their hearts were full of triumph in the
+belief that the future king of England had come with the purpose of
+embracing the national faith of Spain.</p>
+
+<p>At the end of the procession Olivares joined the prince and told him
+that his royal master was dying to speak with him, and could scarcely
+restrain himself. An interview was quickly arranged, its locality to be
+the coach of the king. Meanwhile, Olivares sought Buckingham.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us despatch this matter out of hand," he said, "and strike it up
+without the pope."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," answered Buckingham; "but how is it to be done?"</p>
+
+<p>"The means are very easy," said Olivares, lightly. "It is but the
+conversion of the prince, which we cannot conceive but his highness
+intended when he resolved upon this journey."</p>
+
+<p>This belief was a very natural one. The fact of Charles being a
+Protestant had been the stumbling-block in the way of the match. A
+dispensation for the marriage of a Catholic princess with the Protestant
+prince of England had been asked from the pope, but had not yet been
+given. Charles had come to Madrid with the empty hope that his presence
+would cut the knot of this difficulty, and win<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> him the princess out of
+hand. The authorities and the people, on the contrary, fancied that
+nothing less than an intention to turn Catholic could have brought him
+to Spain. As for the infanta herself, she was an ardent Catholic, and
+bitterly opposed to being united in marriage to a heretic prince. Such
+was the state of affairs that prevailed. The easy pathway out of the
+difficulty which the hopeful prince had devised was likely to prove not
+quite free from thorns.</p>
+
+<p>The days passed on. Buckingham declared to Olivares that Charles had no
+thought of becoming a Catholic. Charles avoided the subject, and talked
+only of his love. The Spanish ministers blamed Bristol for his
+indecision, and had rooms prepared for the prince in the royal palace.
+Charles willingly accepted them, and on the 16th of March rode through
+the streets of Madrid, on the right hand of the king, to his new abode.</p>
+
+<p>The people were now permitted to applaud to their hearts' desire, as no
+further pretence of a secret existed. Glad acclamations attended the
+progress of the royal cort&eacute;ge. The people shouted with joy, and all,
+high and low, sang a song composed for the occasion by Lope de Vega, the
+famous dramatist, which told how Charles had come, under the guidance of
+love, to the Spanish sky to see his star Maria.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Carlos Estuardo soy</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Que, siendo amor mi guia,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Al cielo d'Espa&ntilde;a voy</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Por ver mi estrella Maria."</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The palace was decorated with all its ancient splendor, the streets
+everywhere showed signs of the public joy, and, as a special mark of
+royal clemency, all prisoners, except those held for heinous crimes,
+were set at liberty, among them numerous English galley-slaves, who had
+been captured in pirate vessels preying upon Spanish commerce.</p>
+
+<p>Yet all this merrymaking and clemency, and all the negotiations which
+proceeded in the precincts of the palace, did not expedite the question
+at issue. Charles had no thought of becoming a Catholic. Philip had
+little thought of permitting a marriage under any other conditions. The
+infanta hated the idea of the sacrifice, as she considered it. The
+authorities at Rome refused the dispensation. The wheels of the whole
+business seemed firmly blocked.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Charles had seen the infanta again, somewhat more closely
+than in a passing glance from a carriage, and though no words had passed
+between them, her charms of face strongly attracted his susceptible
+heart. He was convinced that he deeply loved her, and he ardently
+pressed for a closer interview. This Spanish etiquette hindered, and it
+was not until April 7, Easter Day, that a personal interview was granted
+the ardent lover. On that day the king, accompanied by a train of
+grandees, led the English prince to the apartments of the queen, who sat
+in state, with the infanta by her side.</p>
+
+<p>Greeting the queen with proper respect, Charles turned to address the
+lady of his love. A few cere<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span>monial words had been set down for him to
+utter, but his English heart broke the bonds of Spanish etiquette, and,
+forgetting everything but his passion, he began to address the princess
+in ardent words of his own choice. He had not gone far before there was
+a sensation. The persons present began to whisper. The queen looked with
+angry eyes on the presuming lover. The infanta was evidently annoyed.
+Charles hesitated and stopped short. Something seemed to have gone
+wrong. The infanta answered his eager words with a few cold,
+common-place sentences; a sense of constraint and uneasiness appeared to
+haunt the apartment; the interview was at an end. English ideas of
+love-making had proved much too unconventional for a Spanish court.</p>
+
+<p>From that day forward the affair dragged on with infinite deliberation,
+the passion of the prince growing stronger, the aversion of the infanta
+seemingly increasing, the purpose of the Spanish court to mould the
+ardent lover to its own ends appearing more decided.</p>
+
+<p>While Charles showed his native disposition by prevarication, Buckingham
+showed his by an impatience that soon led to anger and insolence. The
+wearisome slowness of the negotiations ill suited his hasty and
+arbitrary temper, he quarrelled with members of the State Council, and,
+in an interview between the prince and the friars, he grew so incensed
+at the demands made that, in disregard of all the decencies of
+etiquette, he sprang from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> his seat, expressed his contempt for the
+ecclesiastics by insulting gestures, and ended by flinging his hat on
+the ground and stamping on it. That conference came to a sudden end.</p>
+
+<p>As the stay of the prince in Madrid now seemed likely to be protracted,
+attendants were sent him from England that he might keep up, some show
+of state. But the Spanish court did not want them, and contrived to make
+their stay so unpleasant and their accommodations so poor, that Charles
+soon packed the most of them off home again.</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad to get away," said one of these, James Eliot by name, to the
+prince; "and hope that your Highness will soon leave this pestiferous
+Spain. It is a dangerous place to alter a man and turn him. I myself in
+a short time have perceived my own weakness, and am almost turned."</p>
+
+<p>"What motive had you?" asked Charles. "What have you seen that should
+turn you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Marry," replied Eliot, "when I was in England, I turned the whole Bible
+over to find Purgatory, and because I could not find it there I believed
+there was none. But now that I have come to Spain, I have found it here,
+and that your Highness is in it; whence that you may be released, we,
+your Highness's servants, who are going to Paradise, will offer unto God
+our utmost devotions."</p>
+
+<p>A purgatory it was,&mdash;a purgatory lightened for Charles by love, he
+playing the r&ocirc;le assigned by Dante to Paolo, though the infanta was
+little inclined to imitate Francesca da Rimini. Bucking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>ham fumed and
+fretted, was insolent to the Spanish ministers, and sought as earnestly
+to get Charles out of Madrid as he had done to get him there, and less
+successfully. But the love-stricken prince had become impracticable. His
+fancy deepened as the days passed by. Such was the ardor of his passion,
+that on one day in May he broke headlong through the rigid wall of
+Spanish etiquette, by leaping into the garden in which the lady of his
+love was walking, and addressing her in words of passion. The startled
+girl shrieked and fled, and Charles was with difficulty hindered from
+following her.</p>
+
+<p>Only one end could come of all this. Spain and the pope had the game in
+their own hands. Charles had fairly given himself over to them, and his
+ardent passion for the lady weakened all his powers of resistance. King
+James was a slave to his son, and incapable of refusing him anything.
+The end of it all was that the English king agreed that all persecution
+of Catholics in England should come to an end, without a thought as to
+what the parliament might say to this hasty promise, and Charles signed
+papers assenting to all the Spanish demands, excepting that he should
+himself become a Catholic.</p>
+
+<p>The year wore wearily on till August was reached. England and her king
+were by this time wildly anxious that the prince should return. Yet he
+hung on with the pitiful indecision that marked his whole life, and it
+is not unlikely that the incident which induced him to leave Spain at
+last was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> a wager with Bristol, who offered to risk a ring worth one
+thousand pounds that the prince would spend his Christmas in Madrid.</p>
+
+<p>It was at length decided that he should return, the 2d of September
+being the day fixed upon for his departure. He and the king enjoyed a
+last hunt together, lunched under the shadows of the trees, and bade
+each other a seemingly loving farewell. Buckingham's good-by was of a
+different character. It took the shape of a violent quarrel with
+Olivares, the Spanish minister of state. And home again set out the
+brace of knights-errant, not now in the simple fashion of Tom and John
+Smith, but with much of the processional display of a royal cort&eacute;ge.
+Then it was a gay ride of two ardent youths across France and Spain, one
+filled with thoughts of love, the other with the spirit of adventure.
+Now it was a stately, almost a regal, movement, with anger as its
+source, disappointment as its companion. Charles had fairly sold himself
+to Philip, and yet was returning home without his bride. Buckingham, the
+nobler nature of the two, had by his petulance and arrogance kept
+himself in hot water with the Spanish court. Altogether, the adventure
+had not been a success.</p>
+
+<p>The bride was to follow the prince to England in the spring. But the
+farther he got from Madrid the less Charles felt that he wanted her. His
+love, which had grown as he came, diminished as he went. It had then
+spread over his fancy like leaves on a tree in spring; now it fell from
+him like leaves from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> an October tree. It had been largely made up, at
+the best, of fancy and vanity, and blown to a white heat by the
+obstacles which had been thrown in his way. It cooled with every mile
+that took him from Madrid.</p>
+
+<p>To the port of Santander moved the princely train. As it entered that
+town, the bells were rung and cannon fired in welcoming peals. A fleet
+lay there, sent to convey him home, one of the ships having a
+gorgeously-decorated cabin for the infanta,&mdash;who was not there to occupy
+it.</p>
+
+<p>Late in the day as it was, Charles was so eager to leave the detested
+soil of Spain, that he put off in a boat after nightfall for the fleet.
+It was a movement not without its peril. The wind blew, the tide was
+strong, the rowers proved helpless against its force, and the boat with
+its precious freight would have been carried out to sea had not one of
+the sailors managed to seize a rope that hung by the side of a ship
+which they were being rapidly swept past. In a few minutes more the
+English prince was on an English deck.</p>
+
+<p>For some days the wind kept the fleet at Santander. All was cordiality
+and festivity between English and Spaniards. Charles concealed his
+change of heart. Buckingham repressed his insolence. On the 18th of
+September the fleet weighed anchor and left the coast of Spain. On the
+5th of October Prince Charles landed at Portsmouth, his romantic
+escapade happily at an end.</p>
+
+<p>He hurried to London with all speed. But rap<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span>idly as he went, the news
+of his coming had spread before him. He came without a Spanish bride.
+The people, who despised the whole business and feared its results, were
+wild with delight. When Charles landed from the barge in which he had
+crossed the Thames, he found the streets thronged with applauding
+people, he heard the bells on every side merrily ringing, he heard the
+enthusiastic people shouting, "Long live the Prince of Wales!" All
+London was wild with delight. Their wandering prince had been lost and
+was found again.</p>
+
+<p>The day was turned into a holiday. Tables loaded with food and wine were
+placed in the streets by wealthy citizens, that all who wished might
+partake. Prisoners for debt were set at liberty, their debts being paid
+by persons unknown to them. A cart-load of felons on its way to the
+gallows at Tyburn was turned back, it happening to cross the prince's
+path, and its inmates gained an unlooked-for respite. When night fell
+the town blazed out in illumination, candles being set in every window,
+while bonfires blazed in the streets. In the short distance between St.
+Paul's and London Bridge flamed more than a hundred piles. Carts laden
+with wood were seized by the populace, the horses taken out and the
+torch applied, cart and load together adding their tribute of flame.
+Never had so sudden and spontaneous an ebullition of joy broken out in
+London streets. The return of the prince was a strikingly different
+affair from that mad ride in disguise a few months before, which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> spread
+suspicion at every step, and filled England with rage when the story
+became known.</p>
+
+<p>We have told the story of the prince's adventure; a few words will tell
+the end of his love-affair. As for Buckingham, he had left England as a
+marquis, he came back with the title of duke. King James had thus
+rewarded him for abetting the folly of his son. The Spanish marriage
+never took place. Charles's love had been lost in his journey home. He
+brought scarce a shred of it back to London. The temper of the English
+people in regard to the concessions to the Catholics was too outspokenly
+hostile to be trifled with. Obstacles arose in the way of the marriage.
+It was postponed. Difficulties appeared on both sides of the water.
+Before the year ended all hopes of it were over, and the negotiations at
+an end. Prince Charles finally took for wife that Princess Henrietta
+Maria of France whom he and Buckingham had first seen dancing in a royal
+masque, during their holiday visit in disguise to Paris. The romance of
+his life was over. The reality was soon to begin.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE TAKING OF PONTEFRACT CASTLE.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>On the top of a lofty hill, with a broad outlook over the counties of
+Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, stood Pontefract Castle, a
+strong work belonging to the English crown, but now in the hands of
+Cromwell's men, and garrisoned by soldiers of the Parliamentary army.
+The war, indeed, was at an end, King Charles in prison, and Cromwell
+lord of the realm, so that further resistance seemed useless.</p>
+
+<p>But now came a rising in Scotland in favor of the king, and many of the
+royalists took heart again, hoping that, while Cromwell was busy with
+the Scotch, there would be risings elsewhere. In their view the war was
+once more afoot, and it would be a notable deed to take Pontefract
+Castle from its Puritan garrison and hold it for the king. Such were the
+inciting causes to the events of which we have now to speak.</p>
+
+<p>There was a Colonel Morrice, who, as a very young man, had been an
+officer in the king's army. He afterwards joined the army of the
+Parliament, where he made friends and did some bold service. Later on,
+the strict discipline of Cromwell's army offended this versatile
+gentleman, and he threw up his commission and retired to his estates,
+where he enjoyed life with much of the Cavalier freedom.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Among his most intimate friends was the Parliamentary governor of
+Pontefract Castle, who enjoyed his society so greatly that he would
+often have him at the castle for a week at a time, they sleeping
+together like brothers. The confiding governor had no suspicion of the
+treasonable disposition of his bed-fellow, and, though warned against
+him, would not listen to complaint.</p>
+
+<p>Morrice was familiar with the project to surprise the fortress, at the
+head of which was Sir Marmaduke Langdale, an old officer of the king. To
+one of the conspirators he said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Do not trouble yourself about this matter. I will surprise the castle
+for you, whenever you think the time ripe for it."</p>
+
+<p>This gentleman thereupon advised the conspirators to wait, and to trust
+him to find means to enter the stronghold. As they had much confidence
+in him, they agreed to his request, without questioning him too closely
+for the grounds of his assurance. Meanwhile, Morrice went to work.</p>
+
+<p>"I should counsel you to take great care that you have none but faithful
+men in the garrison," he said to the governor. "I have reason to suspect
+that there are men in this neighborhood who have designs upon the
+castle; among them some of your frequent visitors."</p>
+
+<p>He gave him a list of names, some of them really conspirators, others
+sound friends of the Parliament.</p>
+
+<p>"You need hardly be troubled about these fel<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span>lows, however," he said. "I
+have a friend in their counsel, and am sure to be kept posted as to
+their plans. And for that matter I can, in short notice, bring you forty
+or fifty safe men to strengthen your garrison, should occasion arise."</p>
+
+<p>He made himself also familiar with the soldiers of the garrison, playing
+and drinking with them; and when sleeping there would often rise at
+night and visit the guards, sometimes inducing the governor, by
+misrepresentations, to dismiss a faithful man, and replace him by one in
+his own confidence.</p>
+
+<p>So the affair went on, Morrice laying his plans with much skill and
+caution. As it proved, however, the conspirators became impatient to
+execute the affair before it was fully ripe. Scotland was in arms; there
+were alarms elsewhere in the kingdom; Cromwell was likely to have enough
+to occupy him; delay seemed needless. They told the gentleman who had
+asked them to wait that he must act at once. He in his turn advised
+Morrice, who lost no time in completing his plans.</p>
+
+<p>On a certain night fixed by him the surprise-party were to be ready with
+ladders, which they must erect in two places against the wall. Morrice
+would see that safe sentinels were posted at these points. At a signal
+agreed upon they were to mount the ladders and break into the castle.</p>
+
+<p>The night came. Morrice was in the castle, where he shared the
+governor's bed. At the hour arranged he rose and sought the walls. He
+was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> just in time to prevent the failure of the enterprise. Unknown to
+him, one of the sentinels had been changed. Those without gave the
+signal. One of the sentinels answered it. The surprise-party ran forward
+with both ladders.</p>
+
+<p>Morrice, a moment afterwards, heard a cry of alarm from the other
+sentinel, and hasting forward found him running back to call the guard.
+He looked at him. It was the wrong man! There had been some mistake.</p>
+
+<p>"What is amiss?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"There are men under the wall," replied the soldier. "Some villainy is
+afoot."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come, that cannot be."</p>
+
+<p>"It is. I saw them."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe you, sirrah," said Morrice, severely. "You have been
+frightened by a shadow. Come, show me the place. Don't make yourself a
+laughing-stock for your fellows."</p>
+
+<p>The sentinel turned and led the way to the top of the wall. He pointed
+down.</p>
+
+<p>"There; do you see?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>His words stopped there, for at that instant he found himself clasped by
+strong arms, and in a minute more was thrown toppling from the wall.
+Morrice had got rid of the dangerous sentry.</p>
+
+<p>By this time the ladders were up, and some of those without had reached
+the top of the wall. They signalled to their friends at a distance, and
+rushed to the court of guard, whose inmates they speedily mastered,
+after knocking two or three of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> them upon the head. The gates were now
+thrown open, and a strong body of horse and foot who waited outside rode
+in.</p>
+
+<p>The castle was won. Morrice led a party to the governor's chamber, told
+him that "the castle was surprised and himself a prisoner," and advised
+him to surrender. The worthy governor seized his arms and dealt some
+blows, but was quickly disarmed, and Pontefract was again a castle of
+the king.</p>
+
+<p>So ended the first act in this drama. There was a second act to be
+played, in which Cromwell was to take a hand. The garrison was quickly
+reinforced by royalists from the surrounding counties; the castle was
+well provisioned and its fortifications strengthened; contributions were
+raised from neighboring parts; and the marauding excursions of the
+garrison soon became so annoying that an earnest appeal was made to
+Cromwell, "that he would make it the business of his army to reduce
+Pontefract."</p>
+
+<p>Just then Cromwell had other business for his army. The Scots were in
+the field. He was marching to reduce them. Pontefract must wait. He
+sent, however, two or three regiments, which, with aid from the
+counties, he deemed would be sufficient for the work.</p>
+
+<p>Events moved rapidly. Before the Parliamentarian troops under
+Rainsborough reached the castle, Cromwell had met and defeated the army
+of Scots, taking, among other prisoners, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, whom
+the Parliament threatened to make "an example of their justice."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The men of Pontefract looked on Sir Marmaduke as their leader.
+Rainsborough was approaching the castle, but was still at some distance.
+It was deemed a worthy enterprise to take him prisoner, if possible and
+hold him as hostage for Sir Marmaduke. Morrice took on himself this
+difficult and dangerous enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>At nightfall, with a party of twelve picked and choice men, he left the
+castle and made his way towards the town which Rainsborough then
+occupied. The whole party knew the roads well, and about daybreak
+reached the point for which they had aimed,&mdash;the common road leading
+from York. The movement had been shrewdly planned. The guards looked for
+no enemy from this direction, and carelessly asked the party of strange
+horsemen "whence they came."</p>
+
+<p>The answer was given with studied ease and carelessness.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is your general?" asked Morrice. "I have a letter for him from
+Cromwell."</p>
+
+<p>The guard sent one of their number with the party to show them where
+Rainsborough might be found,&mdash;at the best inn of the town. When the
+inn-gate was opened in response to their demand, three only of the party
+entered. The others rode onward to the bridge at the opposite end of the
+town, on the road leading to Pontefract. Here they found a guard of
+horse and foot, with whom they entered into easy conversation.</p>
+
+<p>"We are waiting for our officer," they said. "He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> went in to speak to
+the general. Is there anything convenient to drink? We have had a dry
+ride."</p>
+
+<p>The guards sent for some drink, and, it being now broad day, gave over
+their vigilance, some of the horse-soldiers alighting, while the footmen
+sought their court of guard, fancying that their hour of duty was
+passed.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, tragical work was going on at the inn. Nobody had been awake
+there but the man who opened the gate. They asked him where the general
+lay. He pointed up to the chamber-door, and two of them ascended the
+stairs, leaving the third to hold the horses and in conversation with
+the soldier who had acted as their guide.</p>
+
+<p>Rainsborough was still in bed, but awakened on their entrance and asked
+them who they were and what they wanted.</p>
+
+<p>"It is yourself we want," they replied. "You are our prisoner. It is for
+you to choose whether you prefer to be killed, or quietly to put on your
+clothes, mount a horse which is ready below for you, and go with us to
+Pontefract."</p>
+
+<p>He looked at them in surprise. They evidently meant what they said;
+their voices were firm, their arms ready; he rose and dressed quickly.
+This completed, they led him down-stairs, one of them carrying his
+sword.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the street only one man was to be seen. The soldier of
+the guard had been sent away to order them some breakfast. The
+prisoner,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> seeing one man only where he had looked for a troop,
+struggled to escape and called loudly for help.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident that he could not be carried off; the moment was
+critical; a few minutes might bring a force that it would be madness to
+resist; but they had not come thus far and taken this risk for nothing.
+He would not go; they had no time to force him; only one thing remained:
+they ran him through with their swords and left him dead upon the
+ground. Then, mounting, they rode in haste for the bridge.</p>
+
+<p>Those there knew what they were to do. The approach of their comrades
+was the signal for action. They immediately drew their weapons and
+attacked those with whom they had been in pleasant conversation. In a
+brief time several of the guard were killed and the others in full
+flight. The road was clear. The others came up. A minute more and they
+were away, in full flight, upon the shortest route to Pontefract,
+leaving the soldiers of the town in consternation, for the general was
+soon found dead, with no one to say how he had been killed. Not a soul
+had seen the tragic deed. In due time Morrice and his men reached
+Pontefract, without harm to horse or man, but lacking the hoped-for
+prisoner, and having left death and vengeance behind them.</p>
+
+<p>So far all had gone well with the garrison. Henceforth all promised to
+go ill. Pontefract was the one place in England that held out against<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span>
+Cromwell, the last stronghold of the king. And its holders had angered
+the great leader of the Ironsides by killing one of his most valued
+officers. Retribution was demanded. General Lambert was sent with a
+strong force to reduce the castle.</p>
+
+<p>The works were strong, and not easily to be taken by assault. They might
+be taken by hunger. Lambert soon had the castle surrounded, cooping the
+garrison closely within its own precincts.</p>
+
+<p>Against this they protested,&mdash;in the martial manner. Many bold sallies
+were made, in which numbers on both sides lost their lives. Lambert soon
+discovered that certain persons in the country around were in
+correspondence with the garrison, sending them information. Of these he
+made short work, according to the military ethics of that day. They were
+seized and hanged within sight of the castle, among them being two
+divines and some women of note, friends of the besieged. Some might call
+this murder. They called it war,&mdash;a salutary example.</p>
+
+<p>Finding themselves closely confined within their walls, their friends
+outside hanged, no hope of relief, starvation their ultimate fate, the
+garrison concluded at length that it was about time to treat for terms
+of peace. All England besides was in the hands of Cromwell and the
+Parliament; there was nothing to be gained by this one fortress holding
+out, unless it were the gallows. They there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>fore offered to deliver up
+the castle, if they might have honorable conditions. If not, they
+said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"We are still well stocked with provisions, and can hold out for a long
+time. If we are assured of pardon we will yield; if not, we are ready to
+die, and will not sell our lives for less than a good price."</p>
+
+<p>"I know you for gallant men," replied Lambert, "and am ready to grant
+life and liberty to as many of you as I can. But there are six among you
+whose lives I cannot save. I am sorry for this, for they are brave men;
+but my hands are bound."</p>
+
+<p>"Who are the six? And what have they done that they should be beyond
+mercy?"</p>
+
+<p>"They were concerned in the death of Rainsborough. I do not desire their
+death, but Cromwell is incensed against them."</p>
+
+<p>He named the six. They were Colonel Morrice, Sir John Digby, and four
+others who had been in the party of twelve.</p>
+
+<p>"These must be delivered up without conditions," he continued. "The rest
+of you may return to your homes, and apply to the Parliament for release
+from all prosecution. In this I will lend you my aid."</p>
+
+<p>The leaders of the garrison debated this proposal, and after a short
+time returned their answer.</p>
+
+<p>"We acknowledge your clemency and courtesy," they said, "and would be
+glad to accept your terms did they not involve a base desertion of some
+of our fellows. We cannot do as you say, but will make<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> this offer. Give
+us six days, and let these six men do what they can to deliver
+themselves, we to have the privilege of assisting them. This much we ask
+for our honor."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you agree to surrender the castle and all within it at the end of
+that time?" asked Lambert.</p>
+
+<p>"We pledge ourselves to that."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I accept your proposal. Six days' grace shall be allowed you."</p>
+
+<p>Just what they proposed to do for the release of their proscribed
+companions did not appear. The castle was closely and strongly invested,
+and these men were neither rats nor birds. How did they hope to escape?</p>
+
+<p>The first day of the six passed and nothing was done. A strong party of
+the garrison had made its appearance two or three times, as if resolved
+upon a sally; but each time they retired, apparently not liking the
+outlook. On the second day they were bolder. They suddenly appeared at a
+different point from that threatened the day before, and attacked the
+besiegers with such spirit as to drive them from their posts, both sides
+losing men. In the end the sallying party was driven back, but two of
+the six&mdash;Morrice being one&mdash;had broken through and made their escape.
+The other four were forced to retire.</p>
+
+<p>Two days now passed without a movement on the part of the garrison. Four
+of the six men still remained in the castle. The evening of the fourth
+day came. The gloom of night gathered. Sud<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span>denly a strong party from the
+garrison emerged from a sally-port and rushed upon the lines of the
+besiegers with such fire and energy that they were for a time broken,
+and two more of the proscribed escaped. The others were driven back.</p>
+
+<p>The morning of the fifth day dawned. Four days had gone, and four of the
+proscribed men were free. How were the other two to gain their liberty?
+The method so far pursued could scarcely be successful again. The
+besiegers would be too heedfully on the alert. Some of the garrison had
+lost their lives in aiding the four to escape. It was too dangerous an
+experiment to be repeated, with their lives assured them if they
+remained in the castle. What was to be done for the safety of the other
+two? The matter was thoroughly debated and a plan devised.</p>
+
+<p>On the morning of the sixth day the besieged made a great show of joy,
+calling from the walls that their six friends had gone, and that they
+would be ready to surrender the next day. This news was borne to
+Lambert, who did not believe a word of it, the escape of the four men
+not having been observed. Meanwhile, the garrison proceeded to put in
+effect their stratagem.</p>
+
+<p>The castle was a large one, its rooms many and spacious. Nor was it all
+in repair. Here and there walls had fallen and not been rebuilt, and
+abundance of waste stones strewed the ground in these localities.
+Seeking a place which was least likely to be visited, they walled up the
+two proscribed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> men, building the wall in such a manner that air could
+enter and that they might have some room for movement. Giving them food
+enough to last for thirty days, they closed the chamber, and left the
+two men in their tomb-like retreat.</p>
+
+<p>The sixth day came. The hour fixed arrived. The gates were thrown open.
+Lambert and his men marched in and took possession of the fortress. The
+garrison was marshalled before him, and a strict search made among them
+for the six men, whom he fully expected to find. They were not there.
+The castle was closely searched. They could not be found. He was
+compelled to admit that the garrison had told him the truth, and that
+the six had indeed escaped.</p>
+
+<p>For this Lambert did not seem in any sense sorry. The men were brave.
+Their act had been one allowable in war. He was secretly rather glad
+that they had escaped, and treated the others courteously, permitting
+them to leave the castle with their effects and seek their homes, as he
+had promised. And so ended the taking and retaking of Pontefract Castle.</p>
+
+<p>It was the last stronghold of the king in England, and was not likely to
+be used again for that purpose. But to prevent this, Lambert handled it
+in such fashion that it was left a vast pile of ruins, unfit to harbor a
+garrison. He then drew off his troops, not having discovered the
+concealed men in this proceeding. Ten days passed. Then the two flung
+down their wall and emerged among the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> ruins. They found the castle a
+place for bats, uninhabited by man, but lost no time in seeking less
+suspicious quarters.</p>
+
+<p>Of the six men, Morrice was afterwards taken and executed; the others
+remained free. Sir John Digby lived to become a favored member of the
+court of Charles II. As for Sir Marmaduke Langdale, to whose
+imprisonment Rainsborough owed his death, he escaped from his prison in
+Nottingham Castle, and made his way beyond the seas, not to return until
+England again had a king.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE ADVENTURES OF A ROYAL FUGITIVE.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>It was early September of 1651, the year that tolled the knell of
+royalty in England. In all directions from the fatal field of Worcester
+panic-stricken fugitives were flying; in all directions blood-craving
+victors were pursuing. Charles I. had lost his head for his blind
+obstinacy, two years before. Charles II., crowned king by the Scotch,
+had made a gallant fight for the throne. But Cromwell was his opponent,
+and Cromwell carried victory on his banners. The young king had invaded
+England, reached Worcester, and there felt the heavy hand of the
+Protector and his Ironsides. A fierce day's struggle, a defeat, a
+flight, and kingship in England was at an end while Cromwell lived; the
+last scion of royalty was a flying fugitive.</p>
+
+<p>At six o'clock in the evening of that fatal day, Charles, the boy-king,
+discrowned by battle, was flying through St. Martin's Gate from a city
+whose streets were filled with the bleeding bodies of his late
+supporters. Just outside the town he tried to rally his men; but in
+vain, no fight was left in their scared hearts. Nothing remained but
+flight at panic speed, for the bloodhounds of war were on his track, and
+if caught by those stern Parliamentarians he might be given the short
+shriving<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> of his beheaded father. Away went the despairing prince with a
+few followers, riding for life, flinging from him as he rode his blue
+ribbon and garter and all his princely ornaments, lest pursuers should
+know him by these insignia of royalty. On for twelve hours Charles and
+his companions galloped at racing speed, onward through the whole night
+following that day of blood and woe; and at break of day on September 4
+they reached Whiteladies, a friendly house of refuge in Severn's fertile
+valley.</p>
+
+<p>The story of the after-adventures of the fugitive prince is so replete
+with hair-breadth escapes, disguises, refreshing instances of fidelity,
+and startling incidents, as to render it one of the most romantic tales
+to be found in English history. A thousand pounds were set upon his
+head, yet none, peasant or peer, proved false to him. He was sheltered
+alike in cottage and hall; more than a score of people knew of his
+route, yet not a word of betrayal was spoken, not a thought of betrayal
+was entertained; and the agents of the Protector vainly scoured the
+country in all directions for the princely fugitive, who found himself
+surrounded by a loyalty worthy a better man, and was at last enabled to
+leave the country in Cromwell's despite.</p>
+
+<p>Let us follow the fugitive prince in his flight. Reaching Whiteladies,
+he found a loyal friend in its proprietor. No sooner was it known in the
+mansion that the field of Worcester had been lost, and that the flying
+prince had sought shelter within its walls, than all was haste and
+excitement.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You must not remain here," declared Mr. Gifford, one of his companions.
+"The house is too open. The pursuers will be here within the hour.
+Measures for your safety must be taken at once."</p>
+
+<p>"The first of which is disguise," said Charles.</p>
+
+<p>His long hair was immediately cut off, his face and hands stained a dark
+hue, and the coarse and threadbare clothing of a peasant provided to
+take the place of his rich attire. Thus dressed and disguised, the royal
+fugitive looked like anything but a king.</p>
+
+<p>"But your features will betray you," said the cautious Gifford. "Many of
+these men know your face. You must seek a safer place of refuge."</p>
+
+<p>Hurried movements followed. The few friends who had accompanied Charles
+took to the road again, knowing that their presence would endanger him,
+and hoping that their flight might lead the bloodhounds of pursuit
+astray. They gone, the loyal master of Whiteladies sent for certain of
+his employees whom he could trust. These were six brothers named
+Penderell, laborers and woodmen in his service, Catholics, and devoted
+to the royal family.</p>
+
+<p>"This is the king," he said to William Penderell; "you must have a care
+of him, and preserve him as you did me."</p>
+
+<p>Thick woodland adjoined the mansion of Whiteladies. Into this the
+youthful prince was led by Richard Penderell, one of the brothers. It
+was now broad day. Through the forest went the two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> seeming peasants, to
+its farther side, where a broad highway ran past. Here, peering through
+the bushes, they saw a troop of horse ride by, evidently not old
+soldiers, more like the militia who made up part of Cromwell's army.</p>
+
+<p>These countrified warriors looked around them. Should they enter the
+woods? Some of the Scottish rogues, mayhap Charles Stuart, their royal
+leader, himself, might be there in hiding. But it had begun to rain, and
+by good fortune the shower poured down in torrents upon the woodland,
+while little rain fell upon the heath beyond. To the countrymen, who had
+but begun to learn the trade of soldiers, the certainty of a dry skin
+was better than the forlorn chance of a flying prince. They rode rapidly
+on to escape a drenching, much to the relief of the lurking observers.</p>
+
+<p>"The rogues are hunting me close," said the prince, "and by our Lady,
+this waterfall isn't of the pleasantest. Let us get back into the thick
+of the woods."</p>
+
+<p>Penderell led the way to a dense glade, where he spread a blanket which
+he had brought with him under one of the most thick-leaved trees, to
+protect the prince from the soaked ground. Hither his sister, Mrs.
+Yates, brought a supply of food, consisting of bread, butter, eggs, and
+milk. Charles looked at her with grateful eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"My good woman," he said, "can you be faithful to a distressed
+cavalier?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will die sooner than betray you," was her devoted answer.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Charles ate his rustic meal with a more hopeful heart than he had had
+since leaving Worcester's field. The loyal devotion of these humble
+friends cheered him up greatly.</p>
+
+<p>As night came on the rain ceased. No sooner had darkness settled upon
+the wood than the prince and his guide started towards the Severn, it
+being his purpose to make his way, if possible, into Wales, in some of
+whose ports a vessel might be found to take him abroad. Their route took
+them past a mill. It was quite dark, yet they could make out the miller
+by his white clothes, as he sat at the mill-door. The flour-sprinkled
+fellow heard their footsteps in the darkness, and called out,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Who goes there?"</p>
+
+<p>"Neighbors going home," answered Richard Penderell.</p>
+
+<p>"If you be neighbors, stand, or I will knock you down," cried the
+suspicious miller, reaching behind the door for his cudgel.</p>
+
+<p>"Follow me," said Penderell, quietly, to the prince. "I fancy master
+miller is not alone."</p>
+
+<p>They ran swiftly along a lane and up a hill, opening a gate at the top
+of it. The miller followed, yelling out, "Rogues! rogues! Come on, lads;
+catch these runaways."</p>
+
+<p>He was joined by several men who came from the mill, and a sharp chase
+began along a deep and dirty lane, Charles and his guide running until
+they were tired out. They had distanced their pursuers; no sound of
+footsteps could be heard behind them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Let us leap the hedge, and lie behind it to see if they are still on
+our track," said the prince.</p>
+
+<p>This they did, and lay there for half an hour, listening intently for
+pursuers. Then, as it seemed evident that the miller and his men had
+given up the chase, they rose and walked on.</p>
+
+<p>At a village near by lived an honest gentleman named Woolfe, who had
+hiding-places in his house for priests. Day was at hand, and travelling
+dangerous. Penderell proposed to go on and ask shelter from this person
+for an English gentleman who dared not travel by day.</p>
+
+<p>"Go, but look that you do not betray my name," said the prince.</p>
+
+<p>Penderell left his royal charge in a field, sheltered under a hedge
+beside a great tree, and sought Mr. Woolfe's house, to whose questions
+he replied that the person seeking shelter was a fugitive from the
+battle of Worcester.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I cannot harbor him," was the good man's reply. "It is too
+dangerous a business. I will not venture my neck for any man, unless it
+be the king himself."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you will for this man, for you have hit the mark; it is the king,"
+replied the guide, quite forgetting the injunction given him.</p>
+
+<p>"Bring him, then, in God's name," said Mr. Woolfe. "I will risk all I
+have to help him."</p>
+
+<p>Charles was troubled when he heard the story of his loose-tongued guide.
+But there was no help for it now. The villager must be trusted. They
+sought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> Mr. Woolfe's house by the rear entrance, the prince receiving a
+warm but anxious welcome from the loyal old gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry you are here, for the place is perilous," said the host.
+"There are two companies of militia in the village who keep a guard on
+the ferry, to stop any one from escaping that way. As for my
+hiding-places, they have all been discovered, and it is not safe to put
+you in any of them. I can offer you no shelter but in my barn, where you
+can lie behind the corn and hay."</p>
+
+<p>The prince was grateful even for this sorry shelter, and spent all that
+day hidden in the hay, feasting on some cold meat which his host had
+given him. The next night he set out for Richard Penderell's house, Mr.
+Woolfe having told him that it was not safe to try the Severn, it being
+closely guarded at all its fords and bridges. On their way they came
+again near the mill. Not caring to be questioned as before by the
+suspicious miller, they diverged towards the river.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you swim?" asked Charles of his guide.</p>
+
+<p>"Not I; and the river is a scurvy one."</p>
+
+<p>"I've a mind to try it," said the prince. "It's a small stream at the
+best, and I may help you over."</p>
+
+<p>They crossed some fields to the river-side, and Charles entered the
+water, leaving his attendant on the bank. He waded forward, and soon
+found that the water came but little above his waist.</p>
+
+<p>"Give me your hand," he said, returning. "There's no danger of drowning
+in this water."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Leading his guide, he soon stood on the safe side of that river the
+passage of which had given him so many anxious minutes.</p>
+
+<p>Towards morning they reached the house of a Mr. Whitgrave, a Catholic,
+whom the prince could trust. Here he found in hiding a Major Careless, a
+fugitive officer from the defeated army. Charles revealed himself to the
+major, and held a conference with him, asking him what he had best do.</p>
+
+<p>"It will be very dangerous for you to stay here; the hue and cry is up,
+and no place is safe from search," said the major. "It is not you alone
+they are after, but all of our side. There is a great wood near by
+Boscobel house, but I would not like to venture that, either. The enemy
+will certainly search there. My advice is that we climb into a great,
+thick-leaved oak-tree that stands near the woods, but in an open place,
+where we can see around us."</p>
+
+<p>"Faith, I like your scheme, major," said Charles, briskly. "It is thick
+enough to hide us, you think?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; it was lopped a few years ago, and has grown out again very close
+and bushy. We will be as safe there as behind a thick-set hedge."</p>
+
+<p>"So let it be, then," said the prince.</p>
+
+<p>Obtaining some food from their host,&mdash;bread, cheese, and small beer,
+enough for the day,&mdash;the two fugitives, Charles and Careless, climbed
+into what has since been known as the "royal oak," and remained there
+the whole day, looking down in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> safety on soldiers who were searching
+the wood for royalist fugitives. From time to time, indeed, parties of
+search passed under the very tree which bore such royal fruit, and the
+prince and the major heard their chat with no little amusement.</p>
+
+<p>Charles light-hearted by nature, and a mere boy in years,&mdash;he had just
+passed twenty-one,&mdash;was rising above the heavy sense of depression which
+had hitherto borne him down. His native temperament was beginning to
+declare itself, and he and the major, couched like squirrels in their
+leafy covert, laughed quietly to themselves at the baffled searchers,
+while they ate their bread and cheese with fresh appetites.</p>
+
+<p>When night had fallen they left the tree, and the prince, parting with
+his late companion, sought a neighboring house where he was promised
+shelter in one of those hiding-places provided for proscribed priests.
+Here he found Lord Wilmot, one of the officers who had escaped with him
+from the fatal field of Worcester, and who had left him at Whiteladies.</p>
+
+<p>It is too much to tell in detail all the movements that followed. The
+search for Prince Charles continued with unrelenting severity. Daily,
+noble and plebeian officers of the defeated army were seized. The
+country was being scoured, high and low. Frequently the prince saw the
+forms or heard the voices of those who sought him diligently. But "Will
+Jones," the woodman, was not easily to be recognized as Charles Stuart,
+the prince. He was dressed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> in the shabbiest of weather-worn suits, his
+hair cut short to his ears, his face embrowned, his head covered with an
+old and greasy gray steeple hat, with turned-up brims, his ungloved and
+stained hands holding for cane a long and crooked thorn-stick.
+Altogether it was a very unprincely individual who roamed those
+peril-haunted shires of England.</p>
+
+<p>The two fugitives&mdash;Prince Charles and Lord Wilmot&mdash;now turned their
+steps towards the seaport of Bristol, hoping there to find means of
+passage to France. Their last place of refuge in Staffordshire was at
+the house of Colonel Lane, of Bently, an earnest royalist. Here Charles
+dropped his late name, and assumed that of Will Jackson. He threw off
+his peasant's garb, put on the livery of a servant, and set off on
+horseback with his seeming mistress, Miss Jane Lane, sister of the
+colonel, who had suddenly become infected with the desire of visiting a
+cousin at Abbotsleigh, near Bristol. The prince had now become a lady's
+groom, but he proved an awkward one, and had to be taught the duties of
+his office.</p>
+
+<p>"Will," said the colonel, as they were about to start, "you must give my
+sister your hand to help her to mount."</p>
+
+<p>The new groom gave her the wrong hand. Old Mrs. Lane, mother to the
+colonel, who saw the starting, but knew not the secret, turned to her
+son, saying satirically,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What a goodly horseman my daughter has got to ride before her!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img286.jpg"
+             alt="SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON." /><br />
+         <b>SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>To ride before her it was, for, in the fashion of the day, groom and
+mistress occupied one horse, the groom in front, the mistress behind.
+Not two hours had they ridden, before the horse cast a shoe. A road-side
+village was at hand, and they stopped to have the bare hoof shod. The
+seeming groom held the horse's foot, while the smith hammered at the
+nails. As they did so an amusing conversation took place.</p>
+
+<p>"What news have you?" asked Charles.</p>
+
+<p>"None worth the telling," answered the smith; "nothing has happened
+since the beating of those rogues, the Scots."</p>
+
+<p>"Have any of the English, that joined hands with the Scots, been taken?"
+asked Charles.</p>
+
+<p>"Some of them, they tell me," answered the smith, hammering sturdily at
+the shoe; "but I do not hear that that rogue, Charles Stuart, has been
+taken yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Faith," answered the prince, "if he should be taken, he deserves
+hanging more than all the rest, for bringing the Scots upon English
+soil."</p>
+
+<p>"You speak well, gossip, and like an honest man," rejoined the smith,
+heartily. "And there's your shoe, fit for a week's travel on hard
+roads."</p>
+
+<p>And so they parted, the king merrily telling his mistress the joke, when
+safely out of reach of the smith's ears.</p>
+
+<p>There is another amusing story told of this journey. Stopping at a house
+near Stratford-upon-Avon, "Will Jackson" was sent to the kitchen, as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span>
+the groom's place. Here he found a buxom cook-maid, engaged in preparing
+supper.</p>
+
+<p>"Wind up the jack for me," said the maid to her supposed fellow-servant.</p>
+
+<p>Charles, nothing loath, proceeded to do so. But he knew much less about
+handling a jack than a sword, and awkwardly wound it up the wrong way.
+The cook looked at him scornfully, and broke out in angry tones,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What countrymen are you, that you know not how to wind up a jack?"</p>
+
+<p>Charles answered her contritely, repressing the merry twinkle in his
+eye.</p>
+
+<p>"I am a poor tenant's son of Colonel Lane, in Staffordshire," he said;
+"we seldom have roast meat, and when we have, we don't make use of a
+jack."</p>
+
+<p>"That's not saying much for your Staffordshire cooks, and less for your
+larders," replied the maid, with a head-toss of superiority.</p>
+
+<p>The house where this took place still stands, with the old jack hanging
+beside the fireplace; and those who have seen it of late years do not
+wonder that Charles was puzzled how to wind it up. It might puzzle a
+wiser man.</p>
+
+<p>There is another story in which the prince played his part as a kitchen
+servant. It is said that the soldiers got so close upon his track that
+they sought the house in which he was, not leaving a room in it
+unvisited. Finally they made their way to the kitchen, where was the man
+they sought, with a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> servant-maid who knew him. Charles looked around in
+nervous fear. His pursuers had never been so near him. Doubtless, for
+the moment, he gave up the game as lost. But the loyal cook was mistress
+of the situation. She struck her seeming fellow-servant a smart rap with
+the basting-ladle, and called out, shrewishly,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then, go on with thy work; what art thou looking about for?"</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers laughed as Charles sprang up with a sheepish aspect, and
+they turned away without a thought that in this servant lad lay hidden
+the prince they sought.</p>
+
+<p>On September 13, ten days after the battle, Miss Lane and her groom
+reached Abbotsleigh, where they took refuge at the house of Mr. Norton,
+Colonel Lane's cousin. To the great regret of the fugitive, he learned
+here that there was no vessel in the port of Bristol that would serve
+his purpose of flight. He remained in the house for four days, under his
+guise of a servant, but was given a chamber of his own, on pretence of
+indisposition. He was just well of an ague, said his mistress. He was,
+indeed, somewhat worn out with fatigue and anxiety, though of a
+disposition that would not long let him endure hunger or loneliness.</p>
+
+<p>In fact, on the very morning after his arrival he made an early
+toilette, and went to the buttery-hatch for his breakfast. Here were
+several servants, Pope, the butler, among them. Bread and butter seems
+to have been the staple of the morning<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> meal, though the butler made it
+more palatable by a liberal addition of ale and sack. As they ate they
+were entertained by a minute account of the battle of Worcester, given
+by a country fellow who sat beside Charles at table, and whom he
+concluded, from the accuracy of his description, to have been one of
+Cromwell's soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>Charles asked him how he came to know so well what took place, and was
+told in reply that he had been in the king's regiment. On being
+questioned more closely, it proved that he had really been in Charles's
+own regiment of guards.</p>
+
+<p>"What kind of man was he you call the king?" asked Charles, with an
+assumed air of curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>The fellow replied with an accurate description of the dress worn by the
+prince during the battle, and of the horse he rode. He looked at Charles
+on concluding.</p>
+
+<p>"He was at least three fingers taller than you," he said.</p>
+
+<p>The buttery was growing too hot for Will Jackson. What if, in another
+look, this fellow should get a nearer glimpse at the truth? The
+disguised prince made a hasty excuse for leaving the place, being, as he
+says, "more afraid when I knew he was one of our own soldiers, than when
+I took him for one of the enemy's."</p>
+
+<p>This alarm was soon followed by a greater one. One of his companions
+came to him in a state of intense affright.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do?" he cried. "I am afraid<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> Pope, the butler, knows you.
+He has said very positively to me that it is you, but I have denied it."</p>
+
+<p>"We are in a dangerous strait, indeed," said Charles. "There is nothing
+for it, as I see, but to trust the man with our secret. Boldness, in
+cases like this, is better than distrust. Send Pope to me."</p>
+
+<p>The butler was accordingly sent, and Charles, with a flattering show of
+candor, told him who he was, and requested his silence and aid. He had
+taken the right course, as it proved. Pope was of loyal blood. He could
+not have found a more intelligent and devoted adherent than the butler
+showed himself during the remainder of his stay in that house.</p>
+
+<p>But the attentions shown the prince were compromising, in consideration
+of his disguise as a groom; suspicions were likely to be aroused, and it
+was felt necessary that he should seek a new asylum. One was found at
+Trent House, in the same county, the residence of a fervent royalist
+named Colonel Windham. Charles remained here, and in this vicinity, till
+the 6th of October, seeking in vain the means of escape from one of the
+neighboring ports. The coast proved to be too closely watched, however;
+and in the end soldiers began to arrive in the neighborhood, and the
+rumor spread that Colonel Windham's house was suspected. There was
+nothing for it but another flight, which, this time, brought him into
+Wiltshire, where he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> took refuge at Hele House, the residence of Mr.
+Hyde.</p>
+
+<p>Charles himself tells an interesting story of one of his adventures
+while at Trent House. He, with some companions, had ridden to a place
+called Burport, where they were to wait for Lord Wilmot, who had gone to
+Lyme, four miles farther, to look after a possible vessel. As they came
+near Burport they saw that the streets were full of red-coats,
+Cromwell's soldiers, there being a whole regiment in the town.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do?" asked Colonel Windham, greatly startled at the
+sight.</p>
+
+<p>"Do? why face it out impudently, go to the best hotel in the place, and
+take a room there," said Charles. "It is the only safe thing to do. And
+otherwise we would miss Lord Wilmot, which would be inconvenient to both
+of us."</p>
+
+<p>Windham gave in, and they rode boldly forward to the chief inn of the
+place. The yard was filled with soldiers. Charles, as the groom of the
+party, alighted, took the horses, and purposely led them in a blundering
+way through the midst of the soldiers to the stable. Some of the
+red-coats angrily cursed him for his rudeness, but he went serenely on,
+as if soldiers were no more to him than flies.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the stable, he took the bridles from the horses, and called to
+the hostler to give them some oats.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure," said the hostler, peering at him closely, "I know your face."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>This was none too pleasant a greeting for the disguised prince, but he
+put on a serene countenance, and asked the man whether he had always
+lived at that place.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said the hostler. "I was born in Exeter, and was hostler in an inn
+there near Mr. Potter's, a great merchant of that town."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you must have seen me at Mr. Potter's," said Charles. "I lived
+with him over a year."</p>
+
+<p>"That is it," answered the hostler. "I remember you a boy there. Let us
+go drink a pot of beer on it."</p>
+
+<p>Charles excused himself, saying that he must go look after his master's
+dinner, and he lost little time in getting out of that town, lest some
+one else might have as inconvenient and less doubtful a memory.</p>
+
+<p>While the prince was flying, his foes were pursuing. The fact that the
+royal army was scattered was not enough for the politic mind of
+Cromwell. Its leader was still at large, somewhere in England; while he
+remained free all was at risk. Those turbulent Scotch might be again
+raised. A new Dunbar or Worcester might be fought, with different
+fortune. The flying Charles Stuart must be held captive within the
+country, and made prisoner within a fortress as soon as possible. In
+consequence, the coast was sedulously watched to prevent his escape, and
+the country widely searched, the houses of known royalists being
+particularly placed under surveillance; a large reward was offered for
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> arrest of the fugitive; the party of the Parliament was everywhere
+on the alert for him; only the good faith and sound judgment of his
+friends kept him from the hands of his foes.</p>
+
+<p>At Hele House, the fugitive was near the Sussex coast, and his friends
+hoped that a passage to France might be secured from some of its small
+ports. They succeeded at length. On October 13, in early morning, the
+prince, with a few loyal companions, left his last hiding-place. They
+took dogs with them, as if they were off for a hunting excursion to the
+downs.</p>
+
+<p>That night they spent at Hambledon, in Hampshire. Colonel Gunter, one of
+the party, led the way to the house of his brother-in-law, though
+without notifying him of his purpose. The master of the house was
+absent, but returned while the party were at supper, and was surprised
+to find a group of hilarious guests around his table. Colonel Gunter was
+among them, however, and explained that he had taken the privilege of
+kinship to use his house as his own.</p>
+
+<p>The worthy squire, who loved good cheer and good society, was nothing
+loath to join this lively company, though in his first surprise to find
+his house invaded a round Cavalier oath broke from his lips. To his
+astonishment, he was taken to task for this by a crop-haired member of
+the company, who reproved him in true Puritan phrase for his profanity.</p>
+
+<p>"Whom have you here, Gunter?" the squire<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> asked his brother-in-law.
+"This fellow is not of your sort. I warrant me the canting chap is some
+round-headed rogue's son."</p>
+
+<p>"Not a bit of it," answered the colonel. "He is true Cavalier, though he
+does wear his hair somewhat of the shortest, and likes not oaths. He's
+one of us, I promise you."</p>
+
+<p>"Then here's your health, brother Roundhead!" exclaimed the host,
+heartily, draining a brimming glass of ale to his unknown guest.</p>
+
+<p>The prince, before the feast was over, grew gay enough to prove that he
+was no Puritan, though he retained sufficient caution in his cups not
+further to arouse his worthy host's suspicions. The next day they
+reached a small fishing-village, then known as Brighthelstone, now grown
+into the great town of Brighton. Here lay the vessel which had been
+engaged. The master of the craft, Anthony Tattersall by name, with the
+merchant who had engaged his vessel, supped with the party at the
+village inn. It was a jovial meal. The prince, glad at the near approach
+of safety, allowed himself some freedom of speech. Captain Tattersall
+watched him closely throughout the meal. After supper he drew his
+merchant friend aside, and said to him,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You have not dealt fairly with me in this business. You have paid me a
+good price to carry over that gentleman; I do not complain of that; but
+you should have been more open. He is the king, as I very well know."</p>
+
+<p>"You are very much mistaken, captain," pro<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span>tested the merchant,
+nervously. "What has put such nonsense into your pate?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am not mistaken," persisted the captain. "He took my ship in '48,
+with other fishing-craft of this port, when he commanded his father's
+fleet. I know his face too well to be deceived. But don't be troubled at
+that; I think I do my God and my country good service in preserving the
+king; and by the grace of God, I will venture my life and all for him,
+and set him safely on shore, if I can, in France."</p>
+
+<p>Happily for Charles, he had found a friend instead of a foe in this
+critical moment of his adventure. He found another, for the mariner was
+not the only one who knew his face. As he stood by the fire, with his
+palm resting on the back of a chair, the inn-keeper came suddenly up and
+kissed his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"God bless you wheresoever you go!" he said, fervently. "I do not doubt,
+before I die, to be a lord, and my wife a lady."</p>
+
+<p>Charles burst into a hearty laugh at this ambitious remark of his host.
+He had been twice discovered within the hour, after a month and a half
+of impunity. Yet he felt that he could put full trust in these worthy
+men, and slept soundly that last night on English soil.</p>
+
+<p>At five o'clock of the next morning, he, with Lord Wilmot, his constant
+companion, went on board the little sixty-ton craft, which lay in
+Shoreham harbor, waiting the tide to put to sea. By day<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span>break they were
+on the waves. The prince was resting in the cabin, when in came Captain
+Tattersall, kissed his hand, professed devotion to his interests, and
+suggested a course for him to pursue.</p>
+
+<p>His crew, he said, had been shipped for the English port of Poole. To
+head for France might cause suspicion. He advised Charles to represent
+himself as a merchant who was in debt and afraid of arrest in England,
+and who wished to reach France to collect money due him at Rouen. If he
+would tell this story to the sailors, and gain their good-will, it might
+save future trouble.</p>
+
+<p>Charles entered freely into this conspiracy, went on deck, talked
+affably with the crew, told them the story concocted by the captain, and
+soon had them so fully on his side, that they joined him in begging the
+captain to change his course and land his passengers in France. Captain
+Tattersall demurred somewhat at this, but soon let himself be convinced,
+and headed his ship for the Gallic coast.</p>
+
+<p>The wind was fair, the weather fine. Land was sighted before noon of the
+16th. At one o'clock the prince and Lord Wilmot were landed at F&eacute;camp, a
+small French port. They had distanced the bloodhounds of the Parliament,
+and were safe on foreign soil.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>CROMWELL AND THE PARLIAMENT.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>The Parliament of England had defeated and put an end to the king; it
+remained for Cromwell to put an end to the Parliament. "The Rump," the
+remnant of the old Parliament was derisively called. What was left of
+that great body contained little of its honesty and integrity, much of
+its pride and incompetency. The members remaining had become infected
+with the wild notion that they were the governing power in England, and
+instead of preparing to disband themselves they introduced a bill for
+the disbanding of the army. They had not yet learned of what stuff
+Oliver Cromwell was made.</p>
+
+<p>A bill had been passed, it is true, for the dissolution of the
+Parliament, but in the discussion of how the "New Representative" was to
+be chosen it became plainly evident that the members of the Rump
+intended to form part of it, without the formality of re-election. A
+struggle for power seemed likely to arise between the Parliament and the
+army. It could have but one ending, with a man like Oliver Cromwell at
+the head of the latter. The officers demanded that Parliament should
+immediately dissolve. The members resolutely refused. Cromwell growled
+his comments.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img298.jpg"
+             alt="OLIVER CROMWELL." /><br />
+         <b>OLIVER CROMWELL.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>"As for the members of this Parliament," he said, "the army begins to
+take them in disgust."</p>
+
+<p>There was ground for it, he continued, in their selfish greed, their
+interference with law and justice, the scandalous lives of many of the
+members, and, above all, their plain intention to keep themselves in
+power.</p>
+
+<p>"There is little to hope for from such men for a settlement of the
+nation," he concluded.</p>
+
+<p>The war with Holland precipitated the result. This war acted as a
+barometer for the Parliament. It was a naval combat. In the first
+meeting of the two fleets the Dutch were defeated, and the mercury of
+Parliamentarian pride rose. In the next combat Van Tromp, the veteran
+Dutch admiral, drove Blake with a shattered fleet into the Thames. Van
+Tromp swept the Channel in triumph, with a broom at his mast-head. The
+hopes of the members went down to zero. They agreed to disband in
+November. Cromwell promised to reduce the army. But Blake put to sea
+again, fought Van Tromp in a four days' running fight, and won the
+honors of the combat. Up again went the mercury of Parliamentary hope
+and pride. The members determined to continue in power, and not only
+claimed the right to remain members of the new Parliament, but even to
+revise the returns of the elected members, and decide for themselves if
+they would have them as fellows.</p>
+
+<p>The issue was now sharply drawn between army and Parliament. The
+officers met and demanded<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> that Parliament should at once dissolve, and
+let the Council of State manage the new elections. A conference was held
+between officers and members, at Cromwell's house, on April 19, 1653. It
+ended in nothing. The members were resolute.</p>
+
+<p>"Our charge," said Haslerig, arrogantly, "cannot be transferred to any
+one."</p>
+
+<p>The conference adjourned till the next morning, Sir Harry Vane engaging
+that no action should be taken till it met again. Yet when it met the
+next morning the leading members of Parliament were absent, Vane among
+them. Their absence was suspicious. Were they pushing the bill through
+the House in defiance of the army?</p>
+
+<p>Cromwell was present,&mdash;"in plain black clothes, and gray worsted
+stockings,"&mdash;a plain man, but one not safe to trifle with. The officers
+waited a while for the members. They did not come. Instead there came
+word that they were in their seats in the House, busily debating the
+bill that was to make them rulers of the nation without consent of the
+people, hurrying it rapidly through its several stages. If left alone
+they would soon make it a law.</p>
+
+<p>Then the man who had hurled Charles I. from his throne lost his
+patience. This, in his opinion, had gone far enough. Since it had come
+to a question whether a self-elected Parliament, or the army to which
+England owed her freedom, should hold the balance of power, Cromwell was
+not likely to hesitate.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is contrary to common honesty!" he broke out, angrily.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving Whitehall, he set out for the House of Parliament, bidding a
+company of musketeers to follow him. He entered quietly, leaving his
+soldiers outside. The House now contained no more than fifty-three
+members. Sir Harry Vane was addressing this fragment of a Parliament
+with a passionate harangue in favor of the bill. Cromwell sat for some
+time in silence, listening to his speech, his only words being to his
+neighbor, St. John.</p>
+
+<p>"I am come to do what grieves me to the heart," he said.</p>
+
+<p>Vane pressed the House to waive its usual forms and pass the bill at
+once.</p>
+
+<p>"The time has come," said Cromwell to Harrison, whom he had beckoned
+over to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Think well," answered Harrison; "it is a dangerous work."</p>
+
+<p>The man of fate subsided into silence again. A quarter of an hour more
+passed. Then the question was put "that this bill do now pass."</p>
+
+<p>Cromwell rose, took off his hat, and spoke. His words were strong.
+Beginning with commendation of the Parliament for what it had done for
+the public good, he went on to charge the present members with acts of
+injustice, delays of justice, self-interest, and similar faults, his
+tone rising higher as he spoke until it had grown very hot and
+indignant.</p>
+
+<p>"Your hour is come; the Lord hath done with you," he added.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is a strange language, this," cried one of the members, springing up
+hastily; "unusual this within the walls of Parliament. And from a
+trusted servant, too; and one whom we have so highly honored; and
+one&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Come, come," cried Cromwell, in the tone in which he would have
+commanded his army to charge, "we have had enough of this." He strode
+furiously into the middle of the chamber, clapped on his hat, and
+exclaimed, "I will put an end to your prating."</p>
+
+<p>He continued speaking hotly and rapidly, "stamping the floor with his
+feet" in his rage, the words rolling from him in a fury. Of these words
+we only know those with which he ended.</p>
+
+<p>"It is not fit that you should sit here any longer! You should give
+place to better men! You are no Parliament!" came from him in harsh and
+broken exclamations. "Call them in," he said, briefly, to Harrison.</p>
+
+<p>At the word of command a troop of some thirty musketeers marched into
+the chamber. Grim fellows they were, dogs of war,&mdash;the men of the Rump
+could not face this argument; it was force arrayed against law,&mdash;or what
+called itself law,&mdash;wrong against wrong, for neither army nor Parliament
+truly represented the people, though just then the army seemed its most
+rightful representative.</p>
+
+<p>"I say you are no Parliament!" roared the lord-general, hot with anger.
+"Some of you are drunkards." His eye fell on a bottle-loving member.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span>
+"Some of you are lewd livers; living in open contempt of God's
+commandments." His hot gaze flashed on Henry Marten and Sir Peter
+Wentworth. "Following your own greedy appetites and the devil's
+commandments; corrupt, unjust persons, scandalous to the profession of
+the gospel: how can you be a Parliament for God's people? Depart, I say,
+and let us have done with you. In the name of God&mdash;go!"</p>
+
+<p>These words were like bomb-shells exploded in the chamber of Parliament.
+Such a scene had never before and has never since been seen in the House
+of Commons. The members were all on their feet, some white with terror,
+some red with indignation. Vane fearlessly faced the irate general.</p>
+
+<p>"Your action," he said, hotly, "is against all right and all honor."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, Sir Harry Vane, Sir Harry Vane," retorted Cromwell, bitterly, "you
+might have prevented all this; but you are a juggler, and have no common
+honesty. The Lord deliver me from Sir Harry Vane!"</p>
+
+<p>The retort was a just one. Vane had attempted to usurp the government.
+Cromwell turned to the speaker, who obstinately clung to his seat,
+declaring that he would not yield it except to force.</p>
+
+<p>"Fetch him down!" roared the general.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir, I will lend you a hand," said Harrison.</p>
+
+<p>Speaker Lenthall left the chair. One man could not resist an army.
+Through the door glided, silent as ghosts, the members of Parliament.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is you that have forced me to this," said Cromwell, with a shade of
+regret in his voice. "I have sought the Lord night and day, that He
+would rather slay me than put upon me the doing of this work."</p>
+
+<p>He had, doubtless; he was a man of deep piety and intense bigotry; but
+the Lord's answer, it is to be feared, came out of the depths of his own
+consciousness. Men like Cromwell call upon God, but answer for Him
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall be done with this bauble?" said the general, lifting the
+sacred mace, the sign-manual of government by the representatives of the
+people. "Take it away!" he finished, handing it to a musketeer.</p>
+
+<p>His flashing eyes followed the retiring members until they all had left
+the House. Then the musketeers filed out, followed by Cromwell and
+Harrison. The door was locked, and the key and mace carried away by
+Colonel Otley.</p>
+
+<p>A few hours afterwards the Council of State, the executive committee of
+Parliament, was similarly dissolved by the lord-general, who, in person,
+bade its members to depart.</p>
+
+<p>"We have heard," cried John Bradshaw, one of its members, "what you have
+done this morning at the House, and in some hours all England will hear
+it. But you mistake, sir, if you think the Parliament dissolved. No
+power on earth can dissolve the Parliament but itself, be sure of that."</p>
+
+<p>The people did hear it,&mdash;and sustained Cromwell<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> in his action. Of the
+two sets of usurpers, the army and a non-representative Parliament, they
+preferred the former.</p>
+
+<p>"We did not hear a dog bark at their going," said Cromwell, afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>It was not the first time in history that the army had overturned
+representative government. In this case it was not done with the design
+of establishing a despotism. Cromwell was honest in his purpose of
+reforming the administration, and establishing a Parliamentary
+government. But he had to do with intractable elements. He called a
+constituent convention, giving to it the duty of paving the way to a
+constitutional Parliament. Instead of this, the convention began the
+work of reforming the constitution, and proposed such radical changes
+that the lord-general grew alarmed. Doubtless his musketeers would have
+dealt with the convention as they had done with the Rump Parliament, had
+it not fallen to pieces through its own dissensions. It handed back to
+Cromwell the power it had received from him. He became the lord
+protector of the realm. The revolutionary government had drifted,
+despite itself, into a despotism. A despotism it was to remain while
+Cromwell lived.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Frightful was the state of Londonderry. "No surrender" was the ultimatum
+of its inhabitants, "blockade and starvation" the threat of the
+besiegers; the town was surrounded, the river closed, relief seemed
+hopeless, life, should the furious besiegers break in, equally hopeless.
+Far off, in the harbor of Lough Foyle, could be seen the English ships.
+Thirty vessels lay there, laden with men and provisions, but they were
+able to come no nearer. The inhabitants could see them, but the sight
+only aggravated their misery. Plenty so near at hand! Death and
+destitution in their midst! Frightful, indeed, was their extremity.</p>
+
+<p>The Foyle, the river leading to the town, was fringed with hostile forts
+and batteries, and its channel barricaded. Several boats laden with
+stone had been sunk in the channel. A row of stakes was driven into the
+bottom of the stream. A boom was formed of trunks of fir-trees, strongly
+bound together, and fastened by great cables to the shore. Relief from
+the fleet, with the river thus closed against it, seemed impossible. Yet
+scarcely two days' supplies were left in the town, and without hasty
+relief starvation or massacre seemed the only alternatives.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Let us relate the occasion of this siege. James II. had been driven from
+England, and William of Orange was on the throne. In his effort to
+recover his kingdom, James sought Ireland, where the Catholic peasantry
+were on his side. His appearance was the signal for fifty thousand
+peasants to rise in arms, and for the Protestants to fly from peril of
+massacre. They knew their fate should they fall into the hands of the
+half-savage peasants, mad with years of misrule.</p>
+
+<p>In the north, seven thousand English fugitives fled to Londonderry, and
+took shelter behind the weak wall, manned by a few old guns, and without
+even a ditch for defence, which formed the only barrier between them and
+their foes. Around this town gathered twenty-five thousand besiegers,
+confident of quick success. But the weakness of the battlements was
+compensated for by the stoutness of the hearts within. So fierce were
+the sallies of the desperate seven thousand, so severe the loss of the
+besiegers in their assaults, that the attempt to carry the place by
+storm was given up, and a blockade substituted. From April till the end
+of July this continued, the condition of the besieged daily growing
+worse, the food-supply daily growing less. Such was the state of affairs
+at the date with which we are specially concerned.</p>
+
+<p>Inside the town, at that date, the destitution had grown heart-rending.
+The fire of the enemy was kept up more briskly than ever, but famine and
+disease killed more than cannon-balls. The soldiers of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> the garrison
+were so weak from privation that they could scarcely stand; yet they
+repelled every attack, and repaired every breach in the walls as fast as
+made. The damage done by day was made good at night. For the garrison
+there remained a small supply of grain, which was given out by
+mouthfuls, and there was besides a considerable store of salted hides,
+which they gnawed for lack of better food. The stock of animals had been
+reduced to nine horses, and these so lean and gaunt that it seemed
+useless to kill them for food.</p>
+
+<p>The townsmen were obliged to feed on dogs and rats, an occasional small
+fish caught in the river, and similar sparse supplies. They died by
+hundreds. Disease aided starvation in carrying them off. The living were
+too few and too weak to bury the dead. Bodies were left unburied, and a
+deadly and revolting stench filled the air. That there was secret
+discontent and plottings for surrender may well be believed. But no such
+feeling dared display itself openly. Stubborn resolution and vigorous
+defiance continued the public tone. "No surrender" was the general cry,
+even in that extremity of distress. And to this voices added, in tones
+of deep significance, "First the horses and hides; then the prisoners;
+and then each other."</p>
+
+<p>Such was the state of affairs on July 28, 1689. Two days' very sparse
+rations alone remained for the garrison. At the end of that time all
+must end. Yet still in the distance could be seen the masts of the
+ships, holding out an unfulfilled promise of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> relief; still hope was not
+quite dead in the hearts of the besieged. Efforts had been made to send
+word to the town from the fleet. One swimmer who attempted to pass the
+boom was drowned. Another was caught and hanged. On the 13th of July a
+letter from the fleet, sewed up in a cloth button, reached the commander
+of the garrison. It was from Kirke, the general in command of the party
+of relief, and promised speedy aid. But a fortnight and more had passed
+since then, and still the fleet lay inactive in Lough Foyle, nine miles
+away, visible from the summit of the Cathedral, yet now tending rather
+to aggravate the despair than to sustain the hopes of the besieged.</p>
+
+<p>The sunset hour of July 28 was reached. Services had been held that
+afternoon in the Cathedral,&mdash;services in which doubtless the help of God
+was despairingly invoked, since that of man seemed in vain. The
+heart-sick people left the doors, and were about to disperse to their
+foodless homes, when a loud cry of hope and gladness came from the
+lookout in the tower above their heads.</p>
+
+<p>"They are coming!" was the stirring cry. "The ships are coming up the
+river! I can see their sails plainly! Relief is coming!"</p>
+
+<p>How bounded the hearts of those that heard this gladsome cry! The
+listeners dispersed, carrying the glad news to every corner of the town.
+Others came in hot haste, eager to hear further reports from the lookout
+tower. The town, lately so quiet and depressed, was suddenly filled with
+activity.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> Hope swelled every heart, new life ran in every vein; the
+news was like a draught of wine that gave fresh spirit to the most
+despairing soul.</p>
+
+<p>And now other tidings came. There was a busy stir in the camp of the
+besiegers. They were crowding to the river-banks. As far as the eye
+could see, the stream was lined. The daring ships had a gauntlet of fire
+to run. Their attempt seemed hopeless, indeed. The river was low. The
+channel which they would have to follow ran near the left bank, where
+numerous batteries had been planted. They surely would never succeed.
+Yet still they came, and still the lookout heralded their movements to
+the excited multitude below.</p>
+
+<p>The leading ship was the Mountjoy, a merchant-vessel laden heavily with
+provisions. Its captain was Micaiah Browning, a native of Londonderry.
+He had long advised such an attempt, but the general in command had
+delayed until positive orders came from England that something must be
+done.</p>
+
+<p>On hearing of this, Browning immediately volunteered. He was eager to
+succor his fellow-townsmen. Andrew Douglas, captain of the Ph&oelig;nix, a
+vessel laden with meal from Scotland, was willing and anxious to join in
+the enterprise. As an escort to these two merchantmen came the
+Dartmouth, a thirty-six-gun frigate, its commander John Leake,
+afterwards an admiral of renown.</p>
+
+<p>Up the stream they came, the Dartmouth in the lead, returning the fire
+of the forts with effect, pushing steadily onward, with the merchantmen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span>
+closely in the rear. At length the point of peril was reached. The boom
+extended across the stream, seemingly closing all further passage. But
+that remained to be seen. The Mountjoy took the lead, all its sails
+spread, a fresh breeze distending the canvas, and rushed head on at the
+boom.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes of exciting suspense followed, then the great barricade
+was struck, strained to its utmost, and, with a rending sound, gave way.
+So great was the shock that the Mountjoy rebounded and stuck in the mud.
+A yell of triumph came from the Irish who crowded the banks. They rushed
+to their boats, eager to board the disabled vessel; but a broadside from
+the Dartmouth sent them back in disordered flight.</p>
+
+<p>In a minute more the Ph&oelig;nix, which had followed close, sailed through
+the breach which the Mountjoy had made, and was past the boom.
+Immediately afterwards the Mountjoy began to move in her bed of mud. The
+tide was rising. In a few minutes she was afloat and under way again,
+safely passing through the barrier of broken stakes and spars. But her
+brave commander was no more. A shot from one of the batteries had struck
+and killed him, when on the very verge of gaining the highest honor that
+man could attain,&mdash;that of saving his native town from the horrors of
+starvation or massacre.</p>
+
+<p>While this was going on, the state of feeling of the lean and hungry
+multitude within the town was indescribable. Night had fallen before the
+ships<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> reached the boom. The lookout could no longer see and report
+their movements. Intense was the suspense. Minutes that seemed hours
+passed by. Then, in the distance, the flash of guns could be seen. The
+sound of artillery came from afar to the ears of the expectant citizens.
+But the hope which this excited went down when the shout of triumph rose
+from the besiegers as the Mountjoy grounded. It was taken up and
+repeated from rank to rank to the very walls of the city, and the hearts
+of the besieged sank dismally. This cry surely meant failure. The
+miserable people grew livid with fear. There was unutterable anguish in
+their eyes, as they gazed with despair into one another's pallid faces.</p>
+
+<p>A half-hour more passed. The suspense continued. Yet the shouts of
+triumph had ceased. Did it mean repulse or victory? "Victory! victory!"
+for now a spectral vision of sails could be seen, drawing near the town.
+They grew nearer and plainer; dark hulls showed below them; the vessels
+were coming! the town was saved!</p>
+
+<p>Wild was the cry of glad greeting that went up from thousands of
+throats, soul-inspiring the cheers that came, softened by distance, back
+from the ships. It was ten o'clock at night. The whole population had
+gathered at the quay. In came the ships. Loud and fervent were the
+cheers and welcoming cries. In a few minutes more the vessels had
+touched the wharves, well-fed sailors and starved townsmen were
+fraternizing, and the long months<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> of misery and woe were forgotten in
+the intense joy of that supreme moment of relief.</p>
+
+<p>Many hands now made short work. Wasted and weak as were the townsmen,
+hope gave them strength. A screen of casks filled with earth was rapidly
+built up to protect the landing-place from the hostile batteries on the
+other side of the river. Then the unloading began. The eyes of the
+starving inhabitants distended with joy as they saw barrel after barrel
+rolled ashore, until six thousand bushels of meal lay on the wharf.
+Great cheeses came next, beef-casks, flitches of bacon, kegs of butter,
+sacks of peas and biscuit, until the quay was piled deep with
+provisions.</p>
+
+<p>One may imagine with what tears of joy the soldiers and people ate their
+midnight repast that night. Not many hours before the ration to each man
+of the garrison had been half a pound of tallow and three-quarters of a
+pound of salted hide. Now to each was served out three pounds of flour,
+two pounds of beef, and a pint of peas. There was no sleep for the
+remainder of the night, either within or without the walls. The bonfires
+that blazed along the whole circuit of the walls told the joy within the
+town. The incessant roar of guns told the rage without it. Peals of
+bells from the church-towers answered the Irish cannon; shouts of
+triumph from the walls silenced the cries of anger from the batteries.
+It was a conflict of joy and rage.</p>
+
+<p>Three days more the batteries continued to roar.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> But on the night of
+July 31 flames were seen to issue from the Irish camp; on the morning of
+August 1 a line of scorched and smoking ruins replaced the
+lately-occupied huts, and along the Foyle went a long column of pikes
+and standards, marking the retreat of the besieging army.</p>
+
+<p>The retreat became a rout. The men of Enniskillen charged the retreating
+army of Newtown Butler, struggling through a bog to fall on double their
+number, whom they drove in a panic before them. The panic spread through
+the whole army. Horse and foot, they fled. Not until they had reached
+Dublin, then occupied by King James, did the retreat stop, and
+confidence return to the baffled besiegers of Londonderry.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended the most memorable siege in the history of the British
+islands. It had lasted one hundred and five days. Of the seven thousand
+men of the garrison but about three thousand were left. Of the besiegers
+probably more had fallen than the whole number of the garrison.</p>
+
+<p>To-day Londonderry is in large measure a monument to its great siege.
+The wall has been carefully preserved, the summit of the ramparts
+forming a pleasant walk, the bastions being turned into pretty little
+gardens. Many of the old culverins, which threw lead-covered bricks
+among the Irish ranks, have been preserved, and may still be seen among
+the leaves and flowers. The cathedral is filled with relics and
+trophies, and over its altar may be observed the French flag-staffs,
+taken by the garrison<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> in a desperate sally, the flags they once bore
+long since reduced to dust. Two anniversaries are still kept,&mdash;that of
+the day on which the gates were closed, that of the day on which the
+siege was raised,&mdash;salutes, processions, banquets, addresses, sermons
+signalizing these two great events in the history of a city which passed
+through so frightful a baptism of war, but has ever since been the abode
+of peace.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE HUNTING OF BRAEMAR.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In the great forest of Braemar, in the Highlands of Scotland, was
+gathered a large party of hunters, chiefs, and clansmen, all dressed in
+the Highland costume, and surrounded by extensive preparations for the
+comfort and enjoyment of all concerned. Seldom, indeed, had so many
+great lords been gathered for such an occasion. On the invitation of the
+Earl of Mar, within whose domain the hunt was to take place, there had
+come together the Marquises of Huntly and Tulliebardine, the Earls of
+Nithsdale, Marischal, Traquair, Errol, and several others, and numerous
+viscounts, lords, and chiefs of clans, many of the most important of the
+nobility and clan leaders of the Highlands being present.</p>
+
+<p>With these great lords were hosts of clansmen, all attired in the
+picturesque dress of the Highlands, and so numerous that the convocation
+had the appearance of a small army, the sport of hunting in those days
+being often practised on a scale of magnificence resembling war. The red
+deer of the Highlands were the principal game, and the method of hunting
+usually employed could not be conducted without the aid of a large body
+of men. Around the broad extent of wild forest land and mountain
+wilderness, which formed the abiding-place of these animals, a circuit
+of hunters many miles in extent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> was formed. This circuit was called the
+<i>tinchel</i>. Upon a given signal, the hunters composing the circle began
+to move inwards, rousing the deer from their lairs, and driving them
+before them, with such other animals as the forest might contain.</p>
+
+<p>Onward moved the hunters, the circle steadily growing less, and the
+terrified beasts becoming more crowded together, until at length they
+were driven down some narrow defile, along whose course the lords and
+gentlemen had been posted, lying in wait for the coming of the deer, and
+ready to show their marksmanship by shooting such of the bucks as were
+in season.</p>
+
+<p>The hunt with which we are at present concerned, however, had other
+purposes than the killing of deer. The latter ostensible object
+concealed more secret designs, and to these we may confine our
+attention. It was now near the end of August, 1715. At the beginning of
+that month, the Earl of Mar, in company with General Hamilton and
+Colonel Hay, had embarked at Gravesend, on the Thames, all in disguise
+and under assumed names. To keep their secret the better, they had taken
+passage on a coal sloop, agreeing to work their way like common seamen;
+and in this humble guise they continued until Newcastle was reached,
+where a vessel in which they could proceed with more comfort was
+engaged. From this craft they landed at the small port of Elie, on the
+coast of Fife, a country then well filled with Jacobites, or adherents
+to the cause of the Stuart princes. Such were the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> mysterious
+preliminary steps towards the hunting-party in the forest of Braemar.</p>
+
+<p>In truth, the hunt was little more than a pretence. While the clansmen
+were out forming the tinchel, the lords were assembled in secret
+convocation, in which the Earl of Mar eloquently counselled resistance
+to the rule of King George, and the taking of arms in the cause of James
+Francis Edward, son of the exiled James II., and, as he argued, the only
+true heir to the English throne. He told them that he had been promised
+abundant aid in men and money from France, and assured them that a
+rising in Scotland would be followed by a general insurrection in
+England against the Hanoverian dynasty. He is said to have shown letters
+from the Stuart prince, the Chevalier de St. George, as he was called,
+making the earl his lieutenant-general and commander-in-chief of the
+armies of Scotland.</p>
+
+<p>How many red deer were killed on this occasion no one can say. The noble
+guests of Mar had other things to think of than singling out fat bucks.
+None of them opposed the earl in his arguments, and in the end it was
+agreed that all should return home, raise what forces they could by the
+3d of September, and meet again on that day at Aboyne, in Aberdeenshire,
+where it would be settled how they were to take the field.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended that celebrated hunt of Braemar, which was destined to bring
+tears and blood to many a household in Scotland, through loyal devo<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span>tion
+to a prince who was not worth the sacrifice, and at the bidding of an
+earl who was considered by many as too versatile in disposition to be
+fully trusted. An anecdote is given in evidence of this opinion. The
+castle of Braemar was, as a result of the hunt, so overflowing with
+guests, that many of the gentlemen of secondary importance could not be
+accommodated with beds, but were forced to spend the night around the
+kitchen fire,&mdash;a necessity then considered no serious matter by the
+hardy Scotch. But such was not the opinion of all present. An English
+footman, a domestic of the earl, came pushing among the gentlemen,
+complaining bitterly at having to sit up all night, and saying that
+rather than put up with much of this he would go back to his own country
+and turn Whig. As to his Toryism, however, he comforted himself with the
+idea that he served a lord who was especially skilful in escaping
+danger.</p>
+
+<p>"Let my lord alone," he said; "if he finds it necessary, he can turn
+cat-in-pan with any man in England."</p>
+
+<p>While these doings were in progress in the Highlands, the Jacobites were
+no less active in the Lowlands, and an event took place in the
+metropolis of Scotland which showed that the spirit of disaffection had
+penetrated within its walls. This was an attempt to take the castle of
+Edinburgh by surprise,&mdash;an exploit parallel in its risky and daring
+character with those told of the Douglas and other bold lords at an
+earlier period.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img319.jpg"
+             alt="EDINBURGH CASTLE." /><br />
+         <b>EDINBURGH CASTLE.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>The design of scaling this almost inaccessible stronghold was made by a
+Mr. Arthur, who had been an ensign in the Scots' Guards and quartered in
+the castle, and was, therefore, familiar with its interior arrangement.
+He found means to gain over, by cash and promises, a sergeant and two
+privates, who agreed that, when on duty as sentinels on the walls over
+the precipice to the north, they would draw up rope-ladders, and fasten
+them by grappling-irons at their top to the battlements of the castle.
+This done, it would be easy for an armed party to scale the walls and
+make themselves masters of the stronghold. Arthur's plan did not end
+with the mere capture of the fortress. He had arranged a set of signals
+with the Earl of Mar, consisting of a beacon displayed at a fixed point
+on the castle walls, three rounds of artillery, and a succession of
+fires flashing the news from hill-top to hill-top. The earl, thus
+apprised of the success of the adventurers, was to hasten south with all
+the force he could bring, and take possession of Edinburgh.</p>
+
+<p>The scheme was well devised, and might have succeeded but for one of
+those unlucky chances which have defeated so many well-laid plans.
+Agents in the enterprise could be had in abundance. Fifty Highlanders
+were selected, picked men from Lord Drummond's estates in Perthshire. To
+these were added fifty others chosen from the Jacobites of Edinburgh.
+Drummond, otherwise known as MacGregor, of Bahaldie, was given the
+command.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> The scheme was one of great moment. Its success would give the
+Earl of Mar a large supply of money, arms, and ammunition, deposited in
+the fortress, and control of the greater part of Scotland, while
+affording a ready means of communication with the English malcontents.</p>
+
+<p>Unluckily for the conspirators, they had more courage than prudence.
+Eighteen of the younger men were, on the night fixed, amusing themselves
+with drinking in a public-house, and talked with such freedom that the
+hostess discovered their secret. She told a friend that the party
+consisted of some young gentlemen who were having their hair powdered in
+order to go to an attack on the castle. Arthur, the originator of the
+enterprise, also made what proved to be a dangerous revelation. He
+engaged his brother, a doctor, in the scheme. The brother grew so
+nervous and low-spirited that his wife, seeing that something was amiss
+with him, gave him no rest until he had revealed the secret. She,
+perhaps to save her husband, perhaps from Whig proclivities, instantly
+sent an anonymous letter to Sir Adam Cockburn, lord justice-clerk of
+Edinburgh, apprising him of the plot. He at once sent the intelligence
+to the castle. His messenger reached there at a late hour, and had much
+difficulty in gaining admittance. When he did so, the deputy-governor
+saw fit to doubt the improbable tidings sent him. The only precaution he
+took was to direct that the rounds and patrols should be made with
+great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> care. With this provision for the safety of the castle, he went
+to bed, doubtless with the comfortable feeling that he had done all that
+could be expected of a reasonable man in so improbable a case.</p>
+
+<p>While this was going on, the storming-party had collected at the
+church-yard of the West Kirk, and from there proceeded to the chosen
+place at the foot of the castle walls. There had been a serious failure,
+however, in their preparations. They had with them a part of the
+rope-ladders on which their success depended, but he who was to have
+been there with the remainder&mdash;Charles Forbes, an Edinburgh merchant,
+who had attended to their making&mdash;was not present, and they awaited him
+in vain.</p>
+
+<p>Without him nothing could be done; but, impatient at the delay, the
+party made their way with difficulty up the steep cliff, and at length
+reached the foot of the castle wall. Here they found on duty one of the
+sentinels whom they had bribed; but he warned them to make haste, saying
+that he was to be relieved at twelve o'clock, and after that hour he
+could give them no aid.</p>
+
+<p>The affair was growing critical. The midnight hour was fast approaching,
+and Forbes was still absent. Drummond, the leader, had the sentinel to
+draw up the ladder they had with them and fasten it to the battlements,
+to see if it were long enough for their purpose. He did so; but it
+proved to be more than a fathom short.</p>
+
+<p>And now happened an event fatal to their enter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span>prise. The information
+sent the deputy-governor, and his direction that the patrols should be
+alert, had the effect of having them make the rounds earlier than usual.
+They came at half-past eleven instead of at twelve. The sentinel,
+hearing their approaching steps, had but one thing to do for his own
+safety. He cried out to the party below, with an oath,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Here come the rounds I have been telling you of this half-hour; you
+have ruined both yourselves and me; I can serve you no longer."</p>
+
+<p>With these words, he loosened the grappling-irons and flung down the
+ladders, and, with the natural impulse to cover his guilty knowledge of
+the affair, fired his musket, with a loud cry of "Enemies!"</p>
+
+<p>This alarm cry forced the storming-party to fly with all speed. The
+patrol saw them from the wall and fired on them as they scrambled
+hastily down the rocks. One of them, an old man, Captain McLean, rolled
+down the cliff and was much hurt. He was taken prisoner by a party of
+the burgher guard, whom the justice-clerk had sent to patrol the outside
+of the walls. They took also three young men, who protested that they
+were there by accident, and had nothing to do with the attempt. The rest
+of the party escaped. In their retreat they met Charles Forbes, coming
+tardily up with the ladders which, a quarter of an hour earlier, might
+have made them masters of the castle, but which were now simply an
+aggravation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It does not seem that any one was punished for this attempt, beyond the
+treacherous sergeant, who was tried, found guilty, and hanged, and the
+deputy-governor, who was deprived of his office and imprisoned for some
+time. No proof could be obtained against any one else.</p>
+
+<p>As for the conspirators, indeed, it is probable that the most of them
+found their way to the army of the Earl of Mar, who was soon afterwards
+in the field at the head of some twelve thousand armed men, pronouncing
+himself the general of His Majesty James III.,&mdash;known to history as the
+"Old Pretender."</p>
+
+<p>What followed this outbreak it is not our purpose to describe. It will
+suffice to say that Mar was more skilful as a conspirator than as a
+general, that his army was defeated by Argyle at Sheriffmuir, and that,
+when Prince James landed in December, it was to find his adherents
+fugitives and his cause in a desperate state. Perceiving that success
+was past hope, he made his way back to France in the following month,
+the Earl of Mar going with him, and thus, as his English footman had
+predicted, escaping the fate which was dealt out freely to those whom he
+had been instrumental in drawing into the outbreak. Many of these paid
+with their lives for their participation in the rebellion, but Mar lived
+to continue his plotting for a number of years afterwards, though it
+cannot be said that his later plots were more notable for success than
+the one we have described.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE FLIGHT OF PRINCE CHARLES.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>It was early morning on the Hebrides, that crowded group of rocky
+islands on the west coast of Scotland where fish and anglers much do
+congregate. From one of these, South Uist by name, a fishing-boat had
+put out at an early hour, and was now, with a fresh breeze in its sail,
+making its way swiftly over the ruffled waters of the Irish Channel. Its
+occupants, in addition to the two watermen who managed it, were three
+persons,&mdash;two women and a man. To all outward appearance only one of
+these was of any importance. This was a young lady of bright and
+attractive face, dressed in a plain and serviceable travelling-costume,
+but evidently of good birth and training. Her companions were a man and
+a maid-servant, the latter of unusual height for a woman, and with an
+embrowned and roughened face that indicated exposure to severe hardships
+of life and climate. The man was a thorough Highlander, red-bearded,
+shock-haired, and of weather-beaten aspect.</p>
+
+<p>The boat had already made a considerable distance from the shore when
+its occupants found themselves in near vicinity to another small craft,
+which was moving lazily in a line parallel to the island coast. At a
+distance to right and left other<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> boats were visible. The island waters
+seemed to be patrolled. As the fishing-boat came near, the craft just
+mentioned shifted its course and sailed towards it. It was sufficiently
+near to show that it contained armed men, one of them in uniform. A hail
+now came across the waters.</p>
+
+<p>"What boat is that? Whom have you on board?"</p>
+
+<p>"A lady; on her way to Skye," answered the boatman.</p>
+
+<p>"Up helm, and lay yourself alongside of us. We must see who you are."</p>
+
+<p>The fishermen obeyed. They had reason to know that, just then, there was
+no other course to pursue. In a few minutes the two boats were riding
+side by side, lifting and falling lazily on the long Atlantic swell. The
+lady looked up at the uniformed personage, who seemed an officer.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Flora McDonald," she said. "These persons are my servants.
+My father is in command of the McDonalds on South Uist. I have been
+visiting at Clanranald, and am now on my way home."</p>
+
+<p>"Forgive me, Miss McDonald," said the officer, courteously; "but our
+orders are precise; no one can leave the island without a pass."</p>
+
+<p>"I know it," she replied, with dignity, "and have provided myself. Here
+is my passport, signed by my father."</p>
+
+<p>The officer took and ran his eye over it quickly: "Flora McDonald; with
+two servants, Betty Bruce<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> and Malcolm Rae," he read. His gaze moved
+rapidly over the occupants of the boat, resting for a moment on the
+bright and intelligent face of the young lady.</p>
+
+<p>"This seems all right, Miss McDonald," he said, respectfully, returning
+her the paper. "You can pass. Good-by, and a pleasant journey."</p>
+
+<p>"Many thanks," she answered. "You should be successful in catching the
+bird that is seeking to fly from that island. Your net is spread wide
+enough."</p>
+
+<p>"I hardly think our bird will get through the meshes," he answered,
+laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes more they were wide asunder. A peculiar smile rested on
+the face of the lady, which seemed reflected from the countenances of
+her attendants, but not a word was said on the subject of the recent
+incident.</p>
+
+<p>Their reticence continued until the rocky shores of the Isle of Skye
+were reached, and the boat was put into one of the many inlets that
+break its irregular contour. Silence, indeed, was maintained until they
+had landed on a rocky shelf, and the boat had pushed off on its return
+journey. Then Flora McDonald spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"So far we are safe," she said. "But I confess I was frightfully scared
+when that patrol-boat stopped us."</p>
+
+<p>"You did not look so," said Betty Bruce, in a voice of masculine depth.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not dare to," she answered. "If I had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> looked what I felt, we
+would never have passed. But let us continue our journey. We have no
+time to spare."</p>
+
+<p>It was a rocky and desolate spot on which they stood, the rugged
+rock-shelves which came to the water's edge gradually rising to high
+hills in the distance. But as they advanced inland the appearance of the
+island improved, and signs of human habitation appeared. They had not
+gone far before the huts of fishermen and others became visible, planted
+in little clearings among the rocks, whose inmates looked with eyes of
+curiosity on the strangers. This was particularly the case when they
+passed through a small village, at no great distance inland. Of the
+three persons, it was the maid-servant, Betty Bruce, that attracted most
+attention, her appearance giving rise to some degree of amusement. Nor
+was this without reason. The woman was so ungainly in appearance, and
+walked with so awkward a stride, that the skirts which clung round her
+heels seemed a decided incumbrance to her progress. Her face, too,
+presented a roughness that gave hint of possibilities of a beard. She
+kept unobtrusively behind her mistress, her peculiar gait set the
+goodwives of the village whispering and laughing as they pointed her
+out.</p>
+
+<p>For several miles the travellers proceeded, following the general
+direction of the coast, and apparently endeavoring to avoid all
+collections of human habitations. Now and then, however, they met
+persons in the road, who gazed at them with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> the same curiosity as those
+they had already passed.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery before them grew finer as they advanced. Near nightfall they
+came near mountainous elevations, abutting on the sea-shore in great
+cliffs of columnar basalt, a thousand feet and more in height, over
+which leaped here and there waterfalls of great height and beauty. Their
+route now lay along the base of these cliffs, on the narrow strip of
+land between them and the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Here they paused, just as the sun was shedding its last rays upon the
+water. Seating themselves on some protruding boulders, they entered into
+conversation, the fair Flora's face presenting an expression of doubt
+and trouble.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not like the looks of the people," she said. "They watch you too
+closely. And we are still in the country of Sir Alexander, a land filled
+with our enemies. If you were only a better imitation of a woman."</p>
+
+<p>"Faith, I fear I'm but an awkward sample," answered Betty, in a voice of
+man-like tone. "I have been doing my best, but&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But the lion cannot change his skin," supplied the lady. "This will not
+do. We must take other measures. But our first duty is to find the
+shelter fixed for to-night. It will not do to tarry here till it grows
+dark."</p>
+
+<p>They rose and proceeded, following Malcolm, who acted as guide. The
+place was deserted, and Betty stepped out with a stride of most
+unmaidenly length, as if to gain relief from her late restraint.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> Her
+manner now would have revealed the secret to any shrewd observer. The
+ungainly maid-servant was evidently a man in disguise.</p>
+
+<p>We cannot follow their journey closely. It will suffice to say that the
+awkwardness of the assumed Betty gave rise to suspicion on more than one
+occasion in the next day or two. It became evident that, if the secret
+of the disguised personage was not to be discovered, they must cease
+their wanderings; some shelter must be provided, and a safer means of
+progress be devised.</p>
+
+<p>A shelter was obtained,&mdash;one that promised security. In the base of the
+basaltic cliffs of which we have spoken many caverns had been excavated
+by the winter surges of the sea. In one of these, near the village of
+Portree, and concealed from too easy observation, the travellers found
+refuge. Food was obtained by Malcolm from the neighboring settlement,
+and some degree of comfort provided for. Leaving her disguised companion
+in this shelter, with Malcolm for company, Flora went on. She had
+devised a plan of procedure not without risk, but which seemed
+necessary. It was too perilous to continue as they had done during the
+few past days.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving our travellers thus situated, we will go back in time to
+consider the events which led to this journey in disguise. It was now
+July, the year being 1746. On the 16th of April of the same year a
+fierce battle had been fought on Culloden moor between the English army
+under the Duke of Cum<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span>berland and the host of Highlanders led by Charles
+Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender." Fierce had been the fray, terrible
+the bloodshed, fatal the defeat of the Highland clans. Beaten and
+broken, they had fled in all directions for safety, hotly pursued by
+their victorious foes.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Charles had fought bravely on the field; and, after the fatal
+disaster, had fled&mdash;having with him only a few Irish officers whose good
+faith he trusted&mdash;to Gortuleg, the residence of Lord Lovat. If he hoped
+for shelter there, he found it not. He was overcome with distress; Lord
+Lovat, with fear and embarrassment. No aid was to be had from Lovat,
+and, obtaining some slight refreshment, the prince rode on.</p>
+
+<p>He obtained his next rest and repast at Invergarry, the castle of the
+laird of Glengarry, and continued his journey into the west Highlands,
+where he found shelter in a village called Glenbeisdale, near where he
+had landed on his expedition for the conquest of England. For nearly a
+year he had been in Scotland, pursuing a career of mingled success and
+defeat, and was now back at his original landing-place, a hopeless
+fugitive. Here some of the leaders of his late army communicated with
+him. They had a thousand men still together, and vowed that they would
+not give up hope while there were cattle in the Highlands or meal in the
+Lowlands. But Prince Charles refused to deal with such a forlorn hope.
+He would seek France, he said, and return with a powerful
+reinforcement.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> With this answer he left the mainland, sailing for Long
+Island, in the Hebrides, where he hoped to find a French vessel.</p>
+
+<p>And now dangers, disappointments, and hardships surrounded the fugitive.
+The rebellion was at an end; retribution was in its full tide. The
+Highlands were being scoured, the remnants of the defeated army
+scattered or massacred, the adherents of the Pretender seized, and
+Charles himself was sought for with unremitting activity. The islands in
+particular were closely searched, as it was believed that he had fled to
+their shelter. His peril was extreme. No vessel was to be had. Storms,
+contrary winds, various disappointments attended him. He sought one
+hiding-place after another in Long Island and those adjoining, exposed
+to severe hardships, and frequently having to fly from one place of
+shelter to another. In the end he reached the island of South Uist,
+where he found a faithful friend in Clanranald, one of his late
+adherents. Here he was lodged in a ruined forester's hut, situated near
+the summit of the wild mountain called Corradale. Even this remote and
+almost inaccessible shelter grew dangerous. The island was suspected,
+and a force of not less than two thousand men landed on it, with orders
+to search the interior with the closest scrutiny, while small
+war-vessels, cutters, armed boats, and the like surrounded the island,
+rendering escape by water almost hopeless. It was in this critical state
+of affairs that the devotion of a woman came to the rescue of the
+im<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span>perilled Prince. Flora McDonald was visiting the family of
+Clanranald. She wished to return to her home in Skye. At her suggestion
+the chief provided her with the attendants whom we have already
+described, her awkward maid-servant Betty Bruce being no less a
+personage than the wandering prince. The daring and devoted lady was
+step-daughter to a chief of Sir Alexander McDonald's clan, who was on
+the king's side, and in command of a section of the party of search.
+From him Flora obtained a passport for herself and two servants, and was
+thus enabled to pass in safety through the cordon of investing boats. No
+one suspected the humble-looking Betty Bruce as being a flying prince.
+And so it was that the bird had passed through the net of the fowlers,
+and found shelter in the island of Skye.</p>
+
+<p>And now we must return to the fugitives, whom we left concealed in a
+basaltic cavern on the rocky coast of Skye. The keen-witted Flora had
+devised a new and bold plan for the safety of her charge, no less a one
+than that of trusting the Lady Margaret McDonald, wife of Sir Alexander,
+with her dangerous secret. This seemed like penetrating the very
+stronghold of the foe; but the women of the Highlands had&mdash;most of
+them&mdash;a secret leaning to Jacobitism, and Flora felt that she could
+trust her high-born relative.</p>
+
+<p>She did so, telling Lady Margaret her story. The lady heard it with
+intense alarm. What to do she did not know. She would not betray the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span>
+prince, but her husband was absent, her house filled with militia
+officers, and shelter within its walls impossible. In this dilemma she
+suggested that Flora should conduct the disguised prince to the house of
+McDonald of Kingsburgh, her husband's steward, a brave and intelligent
+man, in whom she could fully trust.</p>
+
+<p>Returning to the cavern, the courageous girl did as suggested, and had
+the good fortune to bring her charge through in safety, though more than
+once suspicion was raised. At Kingsburgh the connection of Flora
+McDonald with the unfortunate prince ended. Her wit and shrewdness had
+saved him from inevitable capture. He was now out of the immediate range
+of search of his enemies, and must henceforth trust to his own devices.</p>
+
+<p>From Kingsburgh the fugitive sought the island of Rasa, led by a guide
+supplied by McDonald, and wearing the dress of a servant. The laird of
+Rasa had taken part in the rebellion, and his domain had been plundered
+in consequence. Food was scarce, and Charles suffered great distress. He
+next followed his seeming master to the land of the laird of MacKinnon,
+but, finding himself still in peril, felt compelled to leave the
+islands, and once more landed on the Scottish mainland at Loch Nevis.</p>
+
+<p>Here his peril was as imminent as it had been at South Uist. It was the
+country of Lochiel, Glengarry, and other Jacobite chiefs, and was filled
+with soldiers, diligently seeking the leaders of the insurrection.
+Charles and his guides found them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span>selves surrounded by foes. A complete
+line of sentinels, who crossed each other upon their posts, inclosed the
+district in which he had sought refuge, and escape seemed impossible.
+The country was rough, bushy, and broken; and he and his companions were
+forced to hide in defiles and woodland shelters, where they dared not
+light a fire, and from which they could see distant soldiers and hear
+the calls of the sentinels.</p>
+
+<p>For two days they remained thus cooped up, not knowing at what minute
+they might be taken, and almost hopeless of escape. Fortunately, they
+discovered a deep and dark ravine that led down from the mountains
+through the line of sentries. The posts of two of these reached to the
+edges of the ravine, on opposite sides. Down this gloomy and rough
+defile crept noiselessly the fugitives, hearing the tread of the
+sentinels above their heads as they passed the point of danger. No alarm
+was given, and the hostile line was safely passed. Once more the
+fugitive prince had escaped.</p>
+
+<p>And now for a considerable time Charles wandered through the rough
+Highland mountains, his clothes in rags, often without food and shelter,
+and not daring to kindle a fire; vainly hoping to find a French vessel
+hovering off the coast, and at length reaching the mountains of
+Strathglass. Here he, with Glenaladale, his companion at that time,
+sought shelter in a cavern, only to find it the lurking-place of a gang
+of robbers, or rather of outlaws, who had taken part in the rebellion,
+and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> were here in hiding. There were seven of these, who lived on sheep
+and cattle raided in the surrounding country.</p>
+
+<p>These men looked on the ragged suppliants of their good-will at first as
+fugitives of their own stamp. But they quickly recognized, in the most
+tattered of the wanderers, that "Bonnie Charlie" for whom they had
+risked their lives upon the battle-field, and for whom they still felt a
+passionate devotion. They hailed his appearance among them with
+gladness, and expressed themselves as his ardent and faithful servants
+in life and death.</p>
+
+<p>In this den of robbers the unfortunate prince was soon made more
+comfortable than he had been since his flight from Culloden. Their faith
+was unquestionable, their activity in his service unremitting. Food was
+abundant, and, in addition, they volunteered to provide him with decent
+clothing, and tidings of the movements of the enemy. The first was
+accomplished somewhat ferociously. Two of the outlaws met the servant of
+an officer, on his way to Fort Augustus with his master's baggage. This
+poor fellow they killed, and thus provided their guest with a good stock
+of clothing. Another of them, in disguise, made his way into Fort
+Augustus. Here he learned much about the movements of the troops, and,
+eager to provide the prince with something choice in the way of food,
+brought him back a pennyworth of gingerbread,&mdash;a valuable luxury to his
+simple soul.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For three weeks Charles remained with these humble but devoted friends.
+It was not easy to break away from their enthusiastic loyalty.</p>
+
+<p>"Stay with us," they said; "the mountains of gold which the government
+has set upon your head may induce some gentleman to betray you, for he
+can go to a distant country and live upon the price of his dishonor. But
+to us there exists no such temptation. We can speak no language but our
+own, we can live nowhere but in this country, where, were we to injure a
+hair of your head, the very mountains would fall down to crush us to
+death. Do not leave us, then. You will nowhere be so safe as with us."</p>
+
+<p>This advice was hardly to Charles's taste. He preferred court-life in
+France to cave-life in Scotland, and did not cease his efforts to
+escape. His purposes were aided by an instance of enthusiastic devotion.
+A young man named McKenzie, son of an Edinburgh goldsmith, and a
+fugitive officer from the defeated army, happened to resemble the prince
+closely in face and person. He was attacked by a party of soldiers,
+defended himself bravely, and when mortally wounded, cried out, "Ah,
+villains, you have slain your prince!"</p>
+
+<p>His generous design proved successful. His head was cut off, and sent to
+London as that of the princely fugitive, which it resembled so closely
+that it was some time before the mistake was discovered. This error
+proved of the utmost advantage to the prince. The search was greatly
+relaxed, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> he found it safe to leave the shelter of his cave, and
+seek some of his late adherents, of whose movements he had been kept
+informed. He therefore bade farewell to the faithful outlaws, with the
+exception of two, who accompanied him as guides and guards.</p>
+
+<p>Safety was not yet assured. It was with much difficulty, and at great
+risk, that he succeeded in meeting his lurking adherents, Lochiel and
+Cluny McPherson, who were hiding in Badenoch. Here was an extensive
+forest, the property of Cluny, extending over the side of a mountain,
+called Benalder. In a deep thicket of this forest was a well-concealed
+hut, called the Cage. In this the fugitives took up their residence, and
+lived there in some degree of comfort and safety, the game of the forest
+and its waters supplying them with abundant food.</p>
+
+<p>Word was soon after brought to Charles that two French frigates had
+arrived at Lochnanuagh, their purpose being to carry him and other
+fugitives to France. The news of their arrival spread rapidly through
+the district, which held many fugitives from Culloden, and on the 20th
+of September Charles and Lochiel, with nearly one hundred others of his
+party, embarked on these friendly vessels, and set sail for France.
+Cluny McPherson refused to go. He remained concealed in his own country
+for several years, and served as the agent by which Charles kept up a
+correspondence with the Highlanders.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On September 29 the fugitive prince landed near Morlaix, in Brittany,
+having been absent from France about fourteen months, five of which had
+been months of the most perilous and precarious series of escapes and
+adventures ever recorded of a princely fugitive in history or romance.
+During these months of flight and concealment several hundred persons
+had been aware of his movements, but none, high or low, noble or outlaw,
+had a thought of betraying his secret. Among them all, the devoted Flora
+McDonald stands first, and her name has become historically famous
+through her invaluable services to the prince.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>TRAFALGAR AND THE DEATH OF NELSON.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>From the main peak of the flag-ship Victory hung out Admiral Nelson's
+famous signal, "England expects every man to do his duty!" an inspiring
+appeal, which has been the motto of English warriors since that day. The
+fleet under the command of the great admiral was drawing slowly in upon
+the powerful naval array of France, which lay awaiting him off the rocky
+shore of Cape Trafalgar. It was the morning of October 21, 1805, the
+dawn of the greatest day in the naval history of Great Britain.</p>
+
+<p>Let us rapidly trace the events which led up to this scene,&mdash;the
+prologue to the drama about to be played. The year 1805 was one of
+threatening peril to England. Napoleon was then in the ambitious youth
+of his power, full of dreams of universal empire, his mind set on an
+invasion of the pestilent little island across the channel which should
+rival the "Invincible Armada" in power and far surpass it in
+performance.</p>
+
+<p>Gigantic had been his preparations. Holland and Belgium were his, their
+coast-line added to that of France. In a hundred harbors all was
+activity, munitions being collected, and flat-bottomed boats built, in
+readiness to carry an invading army to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> England's shores. The landing of
+William the Conqueror in 1066 was to be repeated in 1805. The land
+forces were encamped at Boulogne. Here the armament was to meet.
+Meanwhile, the allied fleets of France and Spain were to patrol the
+Channel, one part of them to keep Nelson at bay, the other part to
+escort the flotilla bearing the invading army.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img340.jpg"
+             alt="THE OLD TEMERAIRE." /><br />
+         <b>THE OLD TEMERAIRE.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>While Napoleon was thus busy, his enemies were not idle. The warships of
+England hovered near the French ports, watching all movements, doing
+what damage they could. Lord Nelson keenly observed the hostile fleet.
+To throw him off the track, two French naval squadrons set sail for the
+West Indies, as if to attack the British islands there. Nelson followed.
+Suddenly turning, the decoying squadron came back under a press of sail,
+joined the Spanish fleet, and sailed for England. Nelson had not
+returned, but a strong fleet remained, under Sir Robert Calder, which
+was handled in such fashion as to drive the hostile ships back to the
+harbor of Cadiz.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the state of affairs when Nelson again reached England. Full of
+the spirit of battle, he hoisted his flag on the battle-ship Victory,
+and set sail in search of his foes. There were twenty-seven
+line-of-battle ships and four frigates under his command. The French
+fleet, under Admiral Villeneuve, numbered thirty-three sail of the line
+and seven frigates. Napoleon, dissatisfied with the disinclination of
+his fleet to meet that of England,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> and confident in its strength,
+issued positive orders, and Villeneuve sailed out of the harbor of
+Cadiz, and took position in two crescent-shaped lines off Cape
+Trafalgar. As soon as Nelson saw him he came on with the eagerness of a
+lion in sight of its prey, his fleet likewise in two lines, his signal
+flags fluttering with the inspiring order, "England expects every man to
+do his duty."</p>
+
+<p>The wind was from the west, blowing in light breezes; a long, heavy
+swell ruffled the sea. Down came the great ships, Collingwood, in the
+Royal Sovereign, commanding the lee-line; Nelson, in the Victory,
+leading the weather division. One order Nelson had given, which breathes
+the inflexible spirit of the man. "His admirals and captains, knowing
+his object to be that of a close and decisive action, would supply any
+deficiency of signals, and act accordingly. In case signals cannot be
+seen or clearly understood, <i>no captain can do wrong if he places his
+ship alongside that of an enemy</i>."</p>
+
+<p>Nelson wore that day his admiral's frock-coat, bearing on the breast
+four stars, the emblems of the orders with which he had been invested.
+His officers beheld these ornaments with apprehension. There were
+riflemen on the French ships. He was offering himself as a mark for
+their aim. Yet none dare suggest that he should remove or cover the
+stars. "In honor I gained them, and in honor I will die with them," he
+had said on a previous occasion.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The long swell set in to the bay of Cadiz. The English ships moved with
+it, all sail set, a light southwest wind filling their canvas. Before
+them lay the French ships, with the morning sun on their sails,
+presenting a stately and beautiful appearance.</p>
+
+<p>On came the English fleet, like a flock of giant birds swooping low
+across the ocean. Like a white flock at rest awaited the French
+three-deckers. Collingwood's line was the first to come into action,
+Nelson steering more to the north, that the flight of the enemy to
+Cadiz, in case of their defeat, should be prevented. Straight for the
+centre of the foeman's line steered the Royal Sovereign, taking her
+station side by side with the Santa Anna, which she engaged at the
+muzzle of her guns.</p>
+
+<p>"What would Nelson give to be here!" exclaimed Collingwood, in delight.</p>
+
+<p>"See how that noble fellow, Collingwood, carries his ship into action!"
+responded Nelson from the deck of the Victory.</p>
+
+<p>It was not long before the two fleets were in hot action, the British
+ships following Collingwood's lead in coming to close quarters with the
+enemy. As the Victory approached, the French ships opened with
+broadsides upon her, in hopes of disabling her before she could close
+with them. Not a shot was returned, though men were falling on her decks
+until fifty lay dead or wounded, and her main-top-mast, with all her
+studding-sails and booms, had been shot away.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"This is too warm work, Hardy, to last," said Nelson, with a smile, as a
+splinter tore the buckle from the captain's shoe.</p>
+
+<p>Twelve o'clock came and passed. The Victory was now well in. Firing from
+both sides as she advanced, she ran in side by side with the
+Redoubtable, of the French fleet, both ships pouring broadsides into
+each other. On the opposite side of the Redoubtable came up the English
+ship Temeraire, while another ship of the enemy lay on the opposite side
+of the latter.</p>
+
+<p>The four ships lay head to head and side to side, as close as if they
+had been moored together, the muzzles of their guns almost touching. So
+close were they that the middle-and lower-deck guns of the Victory had
+to be depressed and fired with light charges, lest their balls should
+pierce through the foe and injure the Temeraire. And lest the
+Redoubtable should take fire from the lower-deck guns, whose muzzles
+touched her side when they were run out, the fireman of each gun stood
+ready with a bucket of water to dash into the hole made by the shot.
+While the starboard guns of the Victory were thus employed, her larboard
+guns were in full play upon the Bucentaure and the huge Santissima
+Trinidad. This warm work was repeated through the entire fleet. Never
+had been closer and hotter action.</p>
+
+<p>The fight had reached its hottest when there came a tragical event that
+rendered the victory at Trafalgar, glorious as it was, a loss to
+England. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> Redoubtable, after her first broadside, had closed her
+lower-deck ports, lest the English should board her through them. She
+did not fire another great gun during the action. But her tops, like
+those of her consorts, were filled with riflemen, whose balls swept the
+decks of the assailing ships. One of these, fired from the mizzen-top of
+the Redoubtable, not fifteen yards from where Nelson stood, struck him
+on the left shoulder, piercing the epaulette. It was about quarter after
+one, in the heat of the action. He fell upon his face.</p>
+
+<p>"They have done for me, at last, Hardy," he said, as his captain ran to
+his assistance.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope not!" cried Hardy.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he replied, "my backbone is shot through."</p>
+
+<p>A thorough sailor to the last, he saw, as they were carrying him below,
+that the tiller ropes which had been shot away were not replaced, and
+ordered that this should be immediately attended to. Then, that he might
+not be seen by the crew, he spread his handkerchief over his face and
+his stars. But for his needless risk in revealing them before, he might
+have lived.</p>
+
+<p>The cockpit was crowded with the wounded and dying men. Over their
+bodies he was carried, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen's berth.
+The wound was mortal. A brief examination showed this. He had known it
+from the first, and said to the surgeon,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Leave me, and give your services to those for whom there is some hope.
+You can do nothing for me."</p>
+
+<p>Such was the fact. All that could be done was to fan him, and relieve
+his intense thirst with lemonade. On deck the fight continued with
+undiminished fury. The English star was in the ascendant. Ship after
+ship of the enemy struck, the cheers of the crew of the Victory
+heralding each surrender, while every cheer brought a smile of joy to
+the face of the dying veteran.</p>
+
+<p>"Will no one bring Hardy to me?" he repeatedly cried. "He must be
+killed! He is surely dead!"</p>
+
+<p>In truth, the captain dared not leave the deck. More than an hour
+elapsed before he was able to come down. He grasped in silence the hand
+of the dying admiral.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Hardy, how goes the day with us?" asked Nelson, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," was the answer. "Ten ships have struck; but five of the van
+have tacked, and show an intention to bear down upon the Victory. I have
+called two or three of our fresh ships around, and have no doubt of
+giving them a drubbing."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope none of our ships have struck," said Nelson.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no fear of that," answered Hardy.</p>
+
+<p>Then came a moment's silence, and then Nelson spoke of himself.</p>
+
+<p>"I am a dead man, Hardy," he said. "I am<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> going fast; it will be all
+over with me soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady Hamilton have my
+hair and all other things belonging to me."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope it is not so bad as that," said Hardy, with much emotion. "Dr.
+Beatty must yet hold out some hope of life."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, that is impossible," said Nelson. "My back is shot through:
+Beatty will tell you so."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Hardy grasped his hand again, the tears standing in his eyes,
+and then hurried on deck to hide the emotion he could scarcely repress.</p>
+
+<p>Life slowly left the frame of the dying hero: every minute he was nearer
+death. Sensation vanished below his breast. He made the surgeon test and
+acknowledge this.</p>
+
+<p>"You know I am gone," he said. "I know it. I feel something rising in my
+breast which tells me so."</p>
+
+<p>"Is your pain great?" asked Beatty.</p>
+
+<p>"So great, that I wish I were dead. Yet," he continued, in lower tones,
+"one would like to live a little longer, too."</p>
+
+<p>A few moments of silence passed; then he said in the same low tone,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What would become of my poor Lady Hamilton if she knew my situation?"</p>
+
+<p>Fifteen minutes elapsed before Captain Hardy returned. On doing so, he
+warmly grasped Nelson's hand, and in tones of joy congratulated him on
+the victory which he had come to announce.</p>
+
+<p>"How many of the enemy are taken, I cannot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> say," he remarked; "the
+smoke hides them; but we have not less than fourteen or fifteen."</p>
+
+<p>"That's well," cried Nelson, "but I bargained for twenty. Anchor, Hardy,
+anchor!" he commanded, in a stronger voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Will not Admiral Collingwood take charge of the fleet?" hinted Hardy.</p>
+
+<p>"Not while I live, Hardy," answered Nelson, with an effort to lift
+himself in his bed. "Do you anchor."</p>
+
+<p>Hardy started to obey this last order of his beloved commander. In a low
+tone Nelson called him back.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't throw me overboard, Hardy," he pleaded. "Take me home that I may
+be buried by my parents, unless the king shall order otherwise. And take
+care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy; take care of poor Lady Hamilton.
+Kiss me, Hardy."</p>
+
+<p>The weeping captain knelt and kissed him.</p>
+
+<p>"Now I am satisfied," said the dying hero. "Thank God, I have done my
+duty."</p>
+
+<p>Hardy stood and looked down, in sad silence upon him, then again knelt
+and kissed him on the forehead.</p>
+
+<p>"Who is that?" asked Nelson.</p>
+
+<p>"It is I, Hardy," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"God bless you, Hardy," came in tones just above a whisper.</p>
+
+<p>Hardy turned and left. He could bear no more. He had looked his last on
+his old commander.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I wish I had not left the deck," said Nelson; "for I see I shall soon
+be gone."</p>
+
+<p>It was true; life was fast ebbing.</p>
+
+<p>"Doctor," he said to the chaplain, "I have not been a <i>great</i> sinner."
+He was silent a moment, and then continued, "Remember that I leave Lady
+Hamilton and my daughter Horatia as a legacy to my country."</p>
+
+<p>Words now came with difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank God, I have done my duty," he said, repeating these words again
+and again. They were his last words. He died at half-past four, three
+and a quarter hours after he had been wounded.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Nelson's prediction had been realized: twenty French ships
+had struck their flags. The victory of Trafalgar was complete;
+Napoleon's hope of invading England was at an end. Nelson, dying, had
+saved his country by destroying the fleet of her foes. Never had a sun
+set in greater glory than did the life of this hero of the navy of Great
+Britain, the ruler of the waves.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE MASSACRE OF AN ARMY.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>The sentinels on the ramparts of Jelalabad, a fortified post held by the
+British in Afghanistan, looking out over the plain that extended
+northward and westward from the town, saw a singular-looking person
+approaching. He rode a pony that seemed so jaded with travel that it
+could scarcely lift a foot to continue, its head drooping low as it
+dragged slowly onward. The traveller seemed in as evil plight as his
+horse. His head was bent forward upon his breast, the rein had fallen
+from his nerveless grasp, and he swayed in the saddle as if he could
+barely retain his seat. As he came nearer, and lifted his face for a
+moment, he was seen to be frightfully pale and haggard, with the horror
+of an untold tragedy in his bloodshot eyes. Who was he? An Englishman,
+evidently, perhaps a messenger from the army at Cabul. The officers of
+the fort, notified of his approach, ordered that the gates should be
+opened. In a short time man and horse were within the walls of the town.</p>
+
+<p>So pitiable and woe-begone a spectacle none there had ever beheld. The
+man seemed almost a corpse on horseback. He had fairly to be lifted from
+his saddle, and borne inward to a place of shelter and repose, while the
+animal was scarcely able to make its way to the stable to which it was
+led. As the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span> traveller rested, eager questions ran through the garrison.
+Who was he? How came he in such a condition? What had he to tell of the
+army in the field? Did his coming in this sad plight portend some dark
+disaster?</p>
+
+<p>This curiosity was shared by the officer in command of the fort. Giving
+his worn-out guest no long time to recover, he plied him with inquiries.</p>
+
+<p>"You are exhausted," he said. "I dislike to disturb you, but I beg leave
+to ask you a few questions."</p>
+
+<p>"Go on sir; I can answer," said the traveller, in a weary tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you bring a message from General Elphinstone,&mdash;from the army?"</p>
+
+<p>"I bring no message. There is no army,&mdash;or, rather, I am the army," was
+the enigmatical reply.</p>
+
+<p>"You the army? I do not understand you."</p>
+
+<p>"I represent the army. The others are gone,&mdash;dead, massacred,
+prisoners,&mdash;man, woman, and child. I, Doctor Brydon, am the army,&mdash;all
+that remains of it."</p>
+
+<p>The commander heard him in astonishment and horror. General Elphinstone
+had seventeen thousand soldiers and camp-followers in his camp at Cabul.
+"Did Dr. Brydon mean to say&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"They are all gone," was the feeble reply. "I am left; all the others
+are slain. You may well look frightened, sir; you would be heart-sick
+with horror had you gone through my experience. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span> have seen an army
+slaughtered before my eyes, and am here alone to tell it."</p>
+
+<p>It was true; the army had vanished; an event had happened almost without
+precedent in the history of the world, unless we instance the burying of
+the army of Cambyses in the African desert. When Dr. Brydon was
+sufficiently rested and refreshed he told his story. It is the story we
+have here to repeat.</p>
+
+<p>In the summer of 1841 the British army under General Elphinstone lay in
+cantonments near the city of Cabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in a
+position far from safe or well chosen. They were a mile and a half from
+the citadel,&mdash;the Bala Hissar,&mdash;with a river between. Every corner of
+their cantonments was commanded by hills or Afghan forts. Even their
+provisions were beyond their reach, in case of attack, being stored in a
+fort at some distance from the cantonments. They were in the heart of a
+hostile population. General Elphinstone, trusting too fully in the
+puppet of a khan who had been set up by British bayonets, had carelessly
+kept his command in a weak and untenable position.</p>
+
+<p>The general was old and in bad health; by no means the man for the
+emergency. He was controlled by bad advisers, who thought only of
+returning to India, and discouraged the strengthening of the fortress.
+The officers lost heart on seeing the supineness of their leader. The
+men were weary of incessant watching, annoyed by the insults<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> of the
+natives, discouraged by frequent reports of the death of comrades, who
+had been picked off by roving enemies. The ladies alone retained
+confidence, occupying themselves in the culture of their gardens, which,
+in the delightful summer climate of that situation, rewarded their
+labors with an abundance of flowers.</p>
+
+<p>As time went on the situation grew rapidly worse. Akbar Khan, the
+leading spirit among the hostile Afghans, came down from the north and
+occupied the Khoord Cabul Pass,&mdash;the only way back to Hindustan.
+Ammunition was failing, food was decreasing, the enemy were growing
+daily stronger and more aggressive. Affairs had come to such a pass that
+but one of two things remained to do,&mdash;to leave the cantonments and seek
+shelter in the citadel till help should arrive, or to endeavor to march
+back to India.</p>
+
+<p>On the 23d of December the garrison was alarmed by a frightful example
+of boldness and ferocity in the enemy. Sir William Macnaughten, the
+English envoy, who had left the works to treat with the Afghan chiefs,
+was seized by Akbar Khan and murdered on the spot, his head, with its
+green spectacles, being held up in derision to the soldiers within the
+works.</p>
+
+<p>The British were now "advised" by the Afghans to go back to India. There
+was, in truth, nothing else to do. They were starving where they were.
+If they should fight their way to the citadel, they would be besieged
+there without food. They must<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> go, whatever the risk or hardships. On
+the 6th of January the fatal march began,&mdash;a march of four thousand five
+hundred soldiers and twelve thousand camp-followers, besides women and
+children, through a mountainous country, filled with savage foes, and in
+severe winter weather.</p>
+
+<p>The first day's march took them but five miles from the works, the
+evacuation taking place so slowly that it was two o'clock in the morning
+before the last of the force came up. It had been a march of frightful
+conditions. Attacked by the Afghans on every side, hundreds of the
+fugitives perished in those first five dreadful miles. As the advance
+body waited in the snow for those in the rear to join them, the glare of
+flames from the burning cantonments told that the evacuation had been
+completed, and that the whole multitude was now at the mercy of its
+savage foes. It was evident that they had a frightful gantlet to run
+through the fire of the enemy and the winters chilling winds. The snow
+through which they had slowly toiled was reddened with blood all the way
+back to Cabul. Baggage was abandoned, and men and women alike pushed
+forward for their lives, some of them, in the haste of flight, but
+half-clad, few sufficiently protected from the severe cold.</p>
+
+<p>The succeeding days were days of massacre and horror. The fierce
+hill-tribes swarmed around the troops, attacking them in front, flank,
+and rear, pouring in their fire from every point of vantage, slaying
+them in hundreds, in thousands, as they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> moved hopelessly on. The
+despairing men fought bravely. Many of the foe suffered for their
+temerity. But they were like prairie-wolves around the dying bison; the
+retreating force lay helpless in their hands; two new foes took the
+place of every one that fell.</p>
+
+<p>Each day's horrors surpassed those of the last. The camp-followers died
+in hundreds from cold and starvation, their frost-bitten feet refusing
+to support them. Crawling in among the rugged rocks that bordered the
+road, they lay there helplessly awaiting death. The soldiers fell in
+hundreds. It grew worse as they entered the contracted mountain-pass
+through which their road led. Here the ferocious foe swarmed among the
+rocks, and poured death from the heights upon the helpless fugitives. It
+was impossible to dislodge them. Natural breastworks commanded every
+foot of that terrible road. The hardy Afghan mountaineers climbed with
+the agility of goats over the hill-sides, occupying hundreds of points
+which the soldiers could not reach. It was a carnival of slaughter.
+Nothing remained for the helpless fugitives but to push forward with all
+speed through that frightful mountain-pass and gain as soon as possible
+the open ground beyond.</p>
+
+<p>Few gained it. On the fourth day from Cabul there were but two hundred
+and seventy soldiers left. The fifth day found the seventeen thousand
+fugitives reduced to five thousand. A day more, and these five thousand
+were nearly all slain. Only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span> twenty men remained of the great body of
+fugitives which had left Cabul less than a week before. This handful of
+survivors was still relentlessly pursued. A barrier detained them for a
+deadly interval under the fire of the foe, and eight of the twenty died
+in seeking to cross it. The pass was traversed, but the army was gone. A
+dozen worn-out fugitives were all that remained alive.</p>
+
+<p>On they struggled towards Jelalabad, death following them still. They
+reached the last town on their road; but six of them had fallen. These
+six were starving. They had not tasted food for days. Some peasants
+offered them bread. They devoured it like famished wolves. But as they
+did so the inhabitants of the town seized their arms and assailed them.
+Two of them were cut down. The others fled, but were hotly pursued.
+Three of the four were overtaken and slain within four miles of
+Jelalabad. Dr. Brydon alone remained, and gained the fort alone, the
+sole survivor, as he believed and reported, of the seventeen thousand
+fugitives. The Afghan chiefs had boasted that they would allow only one
+man to live, to warn the British to meddle no more with Afghanistan.
+Their boast seemed literally fulfilled. Only one man had traversed in
+safety that "valley of the shadow of death."</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately, there were more living than Dr. Brydon was aware of. Akbar
+Khan had offered to save the ladies and children if the married and
+wounded officers were delivered into his hands. This was done. General
+Elphinstone was among<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> the prisoners, and died in captivity, a relief to
+himself and his friends from the severe account to which the government
+would have been obliged to call him.</p>
+
+<p>Now for the sequel to this story of suffering and slaughter. The
+invasion of Afghanistan by the English had been for the purpose of
+protecting the Indian frontier. A prince, Shah Soojah, friendly to
+England, was placed on the throne. This prince was repudiated by the
+Afghan tribes, and to their bitter and savage hostility was due the
+result which we have briefly described. It was a result with which the
+British authorities were not likely to remain satisfied. The news of the
+massacre sent a thrill of horror through the civilized world.
+Retribution was the sole thought in British circles in India. A strong
+force was at once collected to punish the Afghans and rescue the
+prisoners. Under General Pollock it fought its way through the Khyber
+Pass and reached Jelalabad. Thence it advanced to Cabul, the soldiers,
+infuriated by the sight of the bleaching skeletons that thickly lined
+the roadway, assailing the Afghans with a ferocity equal to their own.
+Wherever armed Afghans were met death was their portion. Nowhere could
+they stand against the maddened English troops. Filled with terror, they
+fled for safety to the mountains, the invading force having terribly
+revenged their slaughtered countrymen.</p>
+
+<p>It next remained to rescue the prisoners. They had been carried about
+from fort to fort, suffering<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> many hardships and discomforts, but not
+being otherwise maltreated. They were given up to the British, after the
+recapture of Cabul, with the hope that this would satisfy these terrible
+avengers. It did so. The fortifications of Cabul were destroyed, and the
+British army was withdrawn from the country. England had paid bitterly
+for the mistake of occupying it. The bones of a slaughtered army paved
+the road that led to the Afghan capital.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>THE ROYAL AND DIAMOND JUBILEES OF QUEEN VICTORIA.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In the year 1887 came a great occasion in the life of England's queen,
+that of the fiftieth anniversary of her reign, a year of holiday and
+festivity that extended to all quarters of the world, for the broad
+girdle of British dominion had during her reign extended to embrace the
+globe. India led the way, the rejoicing over the royal jubilee of its
+empress extending throughout its vast area, from the snowy passes of the
+Himalayas on the north to the tropic shores of Cape Comorin on the
+south. Other colonies joined in the festivities, the loyal Canadians
+vieing with the free-hearted Australians, the semi-bronzed Africanders
+and the planters of the West Indies, in the celebration of the joyous
+anniversary year.</p>
+
+<p>In the history of England there have been only four such jubilees, the
+earlier ones being those of Henry III., Edward III., and George III. It
+is a curious coincidence that of these three sovereigns preceding
+Victoria whose reigns extended over fifty years, each of them was the
+third of his name. Victoria broke the rule in this as well as in the
+breadth and splendor of the jubilee display and rejoicings. To show this
+a few lines must be devoted to these earlier occasions.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The reign of Henry III. was memorable as being that in which trial by
+jury was introduced and the first real English Parliament, that summoned
+by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, was held. It was this that
+gives eclat to the jubilee year, 1265, for it was in that year that the
+first Parliament convened. Yet sorrow rather than rejoicing marked the
+year, for the horrors of civil war rent the land and the bloody battle
+of Evesham saddened all loyal souls.</p>
+
+<p>The jubilee of Edward III. came in 1376, when that monarch entered the
+fiftieth year of his reign. This was a year fitted for rejoicing, for
+the age was one of glory and prosperity. The horrors of the "black
+death," which had swept the land some twenty years before, were
+forgotten and men were in a happy mood. We read of tournaments,
+processions, feasts and pageantry in which all the people participated.
+Yet sorrow came before the year ended, for the death of the "Black
+Prince," the most brilliant hero of chivalry, was sorely mourned by his
+father, the king, and by the subjects of the realm, while the rising
+clouds of civil war threw a gloom on the end of the jubilee year, as
+they had on that of Henry.</p>
+
+<p>More than four centuries elapsed before another jubilee year arrived,
+that of George III., the fiftieth year of whose reign came in 1810. It
+was a year of festivities that spread widely over the land, the people
+entering into it with all the Anglo-Saxon love of holiday. In addition
+to the grand state ban<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span>quets, splendid balls, showy reviews and general
+illuminations, there were open-air feasts free to all, at which bullocks
+were roasted whole, while army and navy deserters were pardoned,
+prisoners of war set free, and a great subscription was made for the
+release from prison of poor debtors.</p>
+
+<p>Yet there was little in the character of the king or the state of the
+country to justify these festivities. England was then in the throes of
+its struggle with Napoleon; the king had lost his reason, the Prince of
+Wales acting as regent; the only reason for rejoicing was that the
+inglorious career of George III. seemed nearing its end. Yet he survived
+for ten years more, not dying until 1820, and surpassing all
+predecessors in the length of his reign.</p>
+
+<p>When, in the year 1887, Queen Victoria reached the fiftieth year of her
+reign, there were none of these causes for sorrow in her realm. England
+was in the height of prosperity, free from the results of blighting
+pestilence, disastrous wars, desolating famine, or any of the horrors
+that steep great nations in heart-breaking sorrow. The empire was
+immense in extent, prosperous in all its parts, and the queen was
+beloved throughout her wide dominions as no monarch of England had ever
+been before. Thus it was a year in which the people could rejoice
+without a shadow to darken their joy and with warm love for their queen
+to make their hilarity a real instead of a simulated one.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was in far-off India, of which Victoria had been proclaimed empress
+ten years before, that the first note of rejoicing was heard. The 16th
+of February was selected as the date of the imperial festival, which was
+celebrated all over the land, even in Mandalay, the capital of the
+newly-conquered state of Upper Burmah. Europeans and natives alike took
+part in the ceremonies and rejoicings, which embraced banquets, plays,
+reviews, illuminations, the distribution of honors, the opening in honor
+of the empress of libraries, colleges and hospitals, and at Gwalior the
+cancelling of the arrears of the land-tax amounting to five million
+dollars.</p>
+
+<p>The fiftieth year of the queen's reign would be completed on the 20th of
+June, but in the preceding months of the year many preliminary
+ceremonies took place in England. Among these was a splendid reception
+of the queen at Birmingham, which city she visited on the 23d of March.
+The streets were richly decorated with flags, festoons, triumphal
+arches, banks of flowers, and trophies illustrating the industries of
+that metropolis of manufacture, while the streets were thronged with
+half a million of rejoicing people. A striking feature of the occasion
+was a semi-circle of fifteen thousand school-children, a mile long, the
+teachers standing behind each school-group, and a continuous strain of
+"God Save the Queen" hailing the royal progress<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span> along the line.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+             <img   src="images/img362.jpg"
+             alt="WINDSOR CASTLE, NORTH FRONT." /><br />
+         <b>WINDSOR CASTLE, NORTH FRONT.</b>
+    </div>
+
+<p>On the 4th of May the queen received at Windsor Castle the
+representatives of the colonial governments, whose addresses showed that
+during her reign the colonial subjects of the empire had increased from
+less than 2,000,000 to more than 9,000,000 souls, the Indian subjects
+from 96,000,000 to 254,000,000, and those of minor dependencies from
+2,000,000 to 7,000,000.</p>
+
+<p>There were various other incidents connected with the Jubilee during
+May, one being a visit of the queen to the American "Wild West Show,"
+and another the opening of the "People's Palace" at Whitechapel, in
+which fifteen thousand troops were ranged along seven miles of
+splendidly decorated streets, while the testimony of the people to their
+affection for their queen was as enthusiastic as it had been at
+Birmingham. Day after day other ceremonial occasions arrived, including
+banquets, balls, assemblies and public festivities of many kinds, from
+the feeding of four thousand of the poor at Glasgow to a yacht race
+around the British Islands.</p>
+
+<p>The great Jubilee celebration, however, was reserved for the 21st of
+June, the chief streets of London being given over to a host of
+decorators, who transformed them into a glowing bower of beauty. The
+route set aside for the imposing procession was one long array of
+brilliant color and shifting brightness almost impossible to describe
+and surpassing all former festive demonstrations.</p>
+
+<p>The line of the royal procession extended from Buckingham Palace to
+Westminster Abbey, along<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</a></span> which route windows and seats had been secured
+at fabulous prices, while the throng of sightseers that densely crowded
+the streets was in the best of good humor.</p>
+
+<p>As the procession moved slowly along from Buckingham Palace a strange
+silence fell upon the gossipping crowd as they awaited the coming of the
+aged queen, on her way to the old Abbey to celebrate in state the
+fiftieth year of her reign. When the head of the procession moved onward
+and the royal carriages came within sight, the awed feeling that had
+prevailed was followed by one of tumultuous enthusiasm, volley after
+volley of cheers rending the air as the carriage bearing the royal lady
+passed between the two dense lines of loyal spectators.</p>
+
+<p>With a face tremulous with emotion the queen bowed from side to side in
+grateful courtesy to her acclaiming subjects, as did her companions, the
+Princess of Wales and the German Crown Princess, who had returned to her
+native land to take part in its holiday of patriotism.</p>
+
+<p>Six cream-colored horses drew the stately carriage in which the royal
+party rode, the Duke of Cambridge and an escort accompanying it, while a
+body-guard of princes followed, the Prince of Wales being mounted on a
+golden chestnut horse and sharing with his mother the cheers of the
+throng. Preceding this escort and the queen's carriage was a series of
+carriages in which were seated the sumptuously appareled Indian princes,
+clothed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</a></span> in cloth of gold and wearing turbans glittering with diamonds
+and other precious gems. Prominent in the group of mounted princes was
+the German Crown Prince Frederick, who succeeded to the throne as
+Emperor Frederick III. in the following March and died in the following
+June, in less than a year from his appearance in the Jubilee. But there
+was no presage of his quick-coming death in his present appearance, his
+white uniform and plumed silver helmet attracting general admiration,
+while he sat his horse as proudly as a knight of old and was covered
+with medals and decorations significant of his prowess in battle. A
+gorgeous cavalcade of natives of India completed the procession, than
+which none of greater brilliance had ever been seen in London streets.</p>
+
+<p>In the Abbey were gathered from nine to ten thousand spectators, of the
+noblest families of the land, and dressed in their most effective
+attire, while the lights brought out the glitter of thousands of
+gleaming gems. The queen herself, while dressed in rich black, wore a
+bonnet of white Spanish lace that glittered with diamonds.</p>
+
+<p>As she entered the Abbey the organ pealed forth the strains of a
+triumphal march. There followed a Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, brief
+and simple, and special prayers by the Archbishop of Canterbury. As a
+finale to the impressive scene the queen, moved to deep emotion,
+embraced with warm affection the princes and princesses of her house,
+and, with a deep bow to her foreign guests, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span>drew from the scene, to
+return to the palace over the same route and through similar
+demonstrations of enthusiastic loyalty.</p>
+
+<p>All over England and Ireland and in the colonies the day was celebrated
+by joyous celebrations, and in foreign lands, especially in the United
+States, the British residents fittingly honored the festive occasion.</p>
+
+<p>On the following day, in Hyde Park, London, the queen drove in state
+down a long and happy line of twenty-seven thousand school-children, who
+had been made happy by a banquet and various amusements, besides being
+given a multitude of toys. The special feature of the occasion was the
+presentation by the queen of a specially manufactured jubilee-ring,
+which she gave with a kind speech to a very happy twelve-year-old girl
+who had attended school for several years without missing a session.</p>
+
+<p>There was also a review of fifty-six thousand volunteers at Aldershot, a
+grand review of one hundred and thirty-five warships at Spithead, and
+other ceremonies, one of the chief of which was the laying by the queen,
+on the 4th of July, of the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute in
+the Albert Hall, this Institute being intended to stand as a sign of the
+essential unity of the British Empire.</p>
+
+<p>The well-loved queen of the British nation was to live to celebrate in
+health and strength another jubilee year, that of the sixtieth
+anniversary of her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span> reign, a distinction in which she stands alone in
+the history of the island kingdom. George III., who came nearest, died a
+few months before the completion of his sixty years' period. Had he
+lived to fulfil it there would have been no celebration, for he had
+become a broken wreck, blind and hopelessly insane, a man who lived
+despised and died unmourned.</p>
+
+<p>But Victoria, though nearly eighty years of age, had still several years
+to live and was fully capable of performing the duties of her position.
+No monarch of England had reigned so long, none had enjoyed to so great
+an extent the love and respect of the people, in no previous reign had
+there been an equal progress in all that conduces to happiness and
+prosperity, in none had the dominion of the throne of Great Britain so
+widely extended, and it was felt for many reasons desirable to make the
+Diamond Jubilee, as it was termed, the occasion for the most magnificent
+demonstration that either England or the world had ever yet seen.</p>
+
+<p>In all its features the observance lasted a month. It was not confined
+to the British Isles, but extended to the dominions of the queen
+throughout the world, in all of which some form of festive celebration
+took place. But the chief and great event of the occasion was the
+unrivalled procession in London on the 22d of June, 1897, an affair in
+which all the world took part, not only representatives of the
+wide-sweeping possessions of the British crown, but dignitaries from
+most of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span> other nations of the world being present to add grandeur
+and completeness to the splendid display.</p>
+
+<p>To describe it in full would need far more space than we have at
+command, and we must confine ourselves to its salient features. It began
+at midnight of the 21st, at which hour, under a clear, star-lit sky, the
+streets were already thronged with people in patient waiting and the
+bells of all London in tumultuous peal announced the advent of the
+jubilee day, while from the vast throng ringing cheers and the singing
+of "God Save the Queen" hailed the happy occasion.</p>
+
+<p>When the new day dawned and the auspicious sunlight brightened the
+scene, the streets devoted to the procession, more than six miles in
+length, appeared one vast blaze of color and display of decorations, the
+jubilee colors, red, white and blue, being everywhere seen, while the
+medley of wreaths, festoons, banners, colored globes and balloons,
+pennons, shields, fir and laurel evergreens, and other emblems of
+festivity, were innumerable and bewildering in their variety.</p>
+
+<p>The march began at 9.45, and came as a welcome relief to the vast throng
+that for hours had been wearily waiting. Its first contingent was the
+colonial military procession, in which representatives of the whole
+world seemed present in distinctive attire. It was a moving picture of
+soldiers from every continent and many of the great isles of the sea,
+massed in a complex and extraordinary display.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Chief in command, following a squadron of the Royal Horse Guards, rode
+Lord Roberts, the famed and popular general, who was hailed with an
+uproar of shouts of "Hurrah for Bobs!" Close behind him came a troop of
+the Canadian Hussars and the Northwest mounted police, escorting Sir
+Wilfred Laurier, the premier of Canada. Premier Reid, of New South
+Wales, followed, escorted by the New South Wales Lancers and the Mounted
+Rifles, with their gray sombreros and black cocks' plumes.</p>
+
+<p>In rapid succession, escorting the premiers of the several colonies,
+came other contingents of troops, each wearing some distinctive uniform,
+including those of Victoria, New Zealand, Queensland, Cape Colony, South
+Australia, Newfoundland, Tasmania, Natal and West Australia. Then came
+mounted troops from many other localities of the British empire,
+reaching from Hong Kong in the East to Jamaica in the West, and fairly
+girdling the globe in their wide variety.</p>
+
+<p>Among the oddities of this complex multitude we may name the Zaptiehs
+from Cyprus, wearing the Turkish fez and bonnet; the olive-faced Borneo
+Dyaks; the Chinese police from Hong Kong, with saucepan-like hats
+shading their yellow faces; the Royal Niger Hausses, with their shaved
+heads and shining black skins; and other picturesquely attired examples
+of the men of varied climes.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the colonial parade, a marvellous display from the "far-thrown"
+British realm. It was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</a></span> followed by the home military parade, which
+formed a carnival of gorgeous costume and color; scarlet and blue, gold,
+white and yellow; shining cuirasses and polished helmets, waving plumes
+and glittering tassels; splendid trappings for horses and more splendid
+ones for men; horse and foot and batteries of artillery; death-dealing
+weapons of every kind; all marching to the stirring music of richly
+accoutred bands and under treasured banners for which the men in the
+ranks were ready to die.</p>
+
+<p>Led by Captain Ames, the tallest man in the British army, followed by
+four of the tallest troopers of the Life Guards,&mdash;a regiment of very
+tall men&mdash;the soldierly procession, as it wound onward under the
+propitious sun, seemed like nothing so much as some bright stream of
+burnished gold flowing between dark banks of human beings.</p>
+
+<p>The colonial and military parade having passed, there followed that part
+of the display to which all this was preliminary, the royal procession,
+in which her Majesty the Queen was once more to show her venerable form
+to her assembled people. Preceding the gorgeous chariot of the queen,
+with its famous eight cream-colored Hanoverian horses, appeared its
+military escort, a glittering cavalcade of splendidly uniformed
+officers, its chief figures being Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-chief of
+the Army, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of
+Connaught, the Duke of Westminster, and the Lord Lieutenant of London.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In the escort were also included foreign military and naval dignitaries,
+in alphabetical order, beginning with Austria and ending with the United
+States, the latter represented by General Nelson A. Miles, in full
+uniform and riding a splendid horse. The whole was bewildering in its
+variety. From Germany came a deputation of the First Prussian Dragoon
+Guards, splendid looking soldiers, sent as a special compliment from the
+Kaiser. But most brilliant of all was a group of officers of the
+Imperial Service Troops of India, in the most gorgeous of uniforms.
+Behind these came in two-horse landaus the special envoys from the
+various American and European nations.</p>
+
+<p>The escort of princes included the Marquis of Lorne, son-in-law of the
+queen, the Duke of York, the Duke of Fife, and among notable foreign
+princes, the Grand Duke Servius of Russia, the Crown Prince Dando of
+Montenegro, and Mohammed Ali Khan, brother of the Khedive of Egypt, who
+rode a pure white Arabian charger.</p>
+
+<p>The hour of eleven had passed when Queen Victoria descended the steps of
+the palace and entered the awaiting carriage, each of whose horses was
+led by a "walking man" in the royal livery and a huntsman's black-velvet
+cap, while the postilions were dressed in scarlet and gold coats, white
+trousers and riding boots, each livery having cost $600.</p>
+
+<p>Through miles of wildly enthusiastic people the carriage wound, the
+chief feature of its progress being the formal crossing of the boundary
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</a></span> ancient London at Temple Bar, where the old ceremony of the
+submission of the city to the sovereign was performed, the Lord Mayor
+presenting the hilt of the city sword&mdash;"Queen Elizabeth's pearl
+sword,"&mdash;presented by the queen to the corporation during a ceremony in
+1570. The touching of the hilt by the queen, in acceptance of
+submission, completed this ceremony, and the carriage rolled on to St.
+Paul's Cathedral, where a brief service was performed.</p>
+
+<p>The next stop was at the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor presented
+the Lord Mayoress and the attendant maids of honor handed the queen a
+beautiful silver basket filled with gorgeous orchids. The palace was
+finally reached at 1.45, when a gun in Hyde Park announced that the
+procession was over, and the great event had passed into history. An
+outburst of cheers followed this final salute and the vast throng,
+millions in number, broke and vanished, carrying to their homes vivid
+memories of the most brilliant affair the great metropolis of London had
+ever seen.</p>
+
+<h4>THE END.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</a></span></h4>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15), by Charles Morris
+
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+Project Gutenberg's Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15), by Charles Morris
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15)
+       The Romance of Reality
+
+Author: Charles Morris
+
+Release Date: June 5, 2006 [EBook #18511]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORICAL TALES, VOL. 4 (OF 15) ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Dave Kline, Janet Blenkinship and The Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  Edition d'Elite
+
+
+  Historical Tales
+
+  The Romance of Reality
+
+
+  By
+
+  CHARLES MORRIS
+
+  _Author of "Half-Hours with the Best American Authors," "Tales from the
+  Dramatists," etc._
+
+
+
+
+  IN FIFTEEN VOLUMES
+
+  Volume IV
+
+  English
+
+
+
+
+  J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+  PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
+
+  Copyright, 1893, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
+  Copyright, 1904, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
+  Copyright, 1908, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
+
+
+[Illustration: WARWICK CASTLE.]
+
+
+  _CONTENTS_
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+  HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN                                         9
+
+  KING ALFRED AND THE DANES                                           19
+
+  THE WOOING OF ELFRIDA                                               35
+
+  THE END OF SAXON ENGLAND                                            49
+
+  HEREWARD THE WAKE                                                   62
+
+  THE DEATH OF THE RED KING                                           77
+
+  HOW THE WHITE SHIP SAILED                                           86
+
+  A CONTEST FOR A CROWN                                               93
+
+  THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION                             107
+
+  ROBIN HOOD AND THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE                121
+
+  WALLACE, THE HERO OF SCOTLAND                                      136
+
+  BRUCE AT BANNOCKBURN                                               149
+
+  THE SIEGE OF CALAIS                                                162
+
+  THE BLACK PRINCE AT POITIERS                                       174
+
+  WAT TYLER AND THE MEN OF KENT                                      185
+
+  THE WHITE ROSE OF ENGLAND                                          196
+
+  THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD                                     213
+
+  THE STORY OF ARABELLA STUART                                       228
+
+  LOVE'S KNIGHT-ERRANT                                               241
+
+  THE TAKING OF PONTEFRACT CASTLE                                    262
+
+  THE ADVENTURES OF A ROYAL FUGITIVE                                 276
+
+  CROMWELL AND THE PARLIAMENT                                        297
+
+  THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY                                          305
+
+  THE HUNTING OF BRAEMAR                                             315
+
+  THE FLIGHT OF PRINCE CHARLES                                       324
+
+  TRAFALGAR AND THE DEATH OF NELSON                                  339
+
+  THE MASSACRE OF AN ARMY                                            349
+
+  THE JUBILEES OF QUEEN VICTORIA                                     358
+
+
+
+
+  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+  ENGLISH.
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+  WARWICK CASTLE                                         _Frontispiece_.
+
+  CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL                                                12
+
+  AN ANGLO-SAXON KING                                                 19
+
+  ELY CATHEDRAL                                                       66
+
+  STATUE OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION                                    116
+
+  ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS                                                 123
+
+  THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING                                     141
+
+  STIRLING CASTLE                                                    153
+
+  THE PORT OF CALAIS                                                 162
+
+  CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME, POITIERS                                     177
+
+  WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE                                                188
+
+  BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES                                     196
+
+  HENRY THE EIGHTH                                                   218
+
+  ROTTEN ROW, LONDON                                                 235
+
+  THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID                                           251
+
+  SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON                                            286
+
+  OLIVER CROMWELL                                                    298
+
+  EDINBURGH CASTLE                                                   319
+
+  THE OLD TEMERAIRE                                                  340
+
+  NORTH FRONT OF WINDSOR CASTLE                                      362
+
+
+
+
+_HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN._
+
+
+One day, in the far-off sixth century, a youthful deacon of the Roman
+Church walked into the slave-market of Rome, situated at one extremity
+of the ancient Forum. Gregory, his name; his origin from an ancient
+noble family, whose genealogy could be traced back to the days of the
+early Caesars. A youth was this of imperial powers of mind, one who, had
+he lived when Rome was mistress of the physical world, might have become
+emperor; but who, living when Rome had risen to lordship over the
+spiritual world, became pope,--the famous Gregory the Great.
+
+In the Forum the young deacon saw that which touched his sympathetic
+soul. Here cattle were being sold; there, men. His eyes were specially
+attracted by a group of youthful slaves, of aspect such as he had never
+seen before. They were bright of complexion, their hair long and golden,
+their expression of touching innocence. Their fair faces were strangely
+unlike the embrowned complexions to which he had been accustomed, and he
+stood looking at them in admiration, while the slave-dealers extolled
+their beauty of face and figure.
+
+"From what country do these young men come?" asked Gregory.
+
+"They are English, Angles," answered the dealers.
+
+"Not Angles, but angels," said the deacon, with a feeling of poetic
+sentiment, "for they have angel-like faces. From what country come
+they?" he repeated.
+
+"They come from Deira," said the merchants.
+
+"_De ira_" he rejoined, fervently; "ay, plucked from God's ire and
+called to Christ's mercy. And what is the name of their king?"
+
+"Ella," was the answer.
+
+"Alleluia shall be sung there!" cried the enthusiastic young monk, his
+imagination touched by the significance of these answers. He passed on,
+musing on the incident which had deeply stirred his sympathies, and
+considering how the light of Christianity could be shed upon the pagan
+lands whence these fair strangers came.
+
+It was a striking picture which surrounded that slave-market. From where
+the young deacon stood could be seen the capitol of ancient Rome and the
+grand proportions of its mighty Coliseum; not far away the temple of
+Jupiter Stator displayed its magnificent columns, and other stately
+edifices of the imperial city came within the circle of vision. Rome had
+ceased to be the mistress of the world, but it was not yet in ruins, and
+many of its noble edifices still stood almost in perfection. But
+paganism had vanished. The cross of Christ was the dominant symbol. The
+march of the warriors of the legions was replaced by long processions
+of cowled and solemn monks. The temporal imperialism of Rome had
+ceased, the spiritual had begun; instead of armies to bring the world
+under the dominion of the sword, that ancient city now sent out its
+legions of priests to bring it under the dominion of the cross.
+
+Gregory resolved to be one of the latter. A fair new field for
+missionary labor lay in that distant island, peopled by pagans whose
+aspect promised to make them noble subjects of Christ's kingdom upon
+earth. The enthusiastic youth left Rome to seek Saxon England, moved
+thereto not by desire of earthly glory, but of heavenly reward. But this
+was not to be. His friends deemed that he was going to death, and begged
+the pope to order his return. Gregory was brought back and England
+remained pagan.
+
+Years went by. The humble deacon rose to be bishop of Rome and head of
+the Christian world. Gregory the Great, men named him, though he styled
+himself "Servant of the servants of God," and lived in like humility and
+simplicity of style as when he was a poor monk.
+
+The time at length came to which Gregory had looked forward. Ethelbert,
+king of Kentish England, married Bertha, daughter of the French king
+Charibert, a fervent Christian woman. A few priests came with her to
+England, and the king gave them a ruined Christian edifice, the Church
+of St. Martin, outside the walls of Canterbury, for their worship. But
+it was overshadowed by a pagan temple, and the worship of Odin and Thor
+still dominated Saxon England.
+
+Gregory took quick advantage of this opportunity. The fair faces of the
+English slaves still appealed to his pitying soul, and he now sent
+Augustine, prior of St. Andrew's at Rome, with a band of forty monks as
+missionaries to England. It was the year of our Lord 597. The
+missionaries landed at the very spot where Hengist the Saxon conqueror
+had landed more than a century before. The one had brought the sword to
+England, the others brought the cross. King Ethelbert knew of their
+coming and had agreed to receive them; but, by the advice of his
+priests, who feared conjuration and spells of magic, he gave them
+audience in the open air, where such spells have less power. The place
+was on the chalk-down above Minster, whence, miles away across the
+intervening marshes, one may to-day behold the distant tower of
+Canterbury cathedral.
+
+The scene, as pictured to us in the chronicles of the monks, was a
+picturesque and inspiring one. The hill selected for the meeting
+overlooked the ocean. King Ethelbert, with Queen Bertha by his side,
+awaited in state his visitors. Around were grouped the warriors of Kent
+and the priests of Odin. Silence reigned, and in the distance the monks
+could be seen advancing in solemn procession, singing as they came. He
+who came first bore a large silver crucifix. Another carried a banner
+with the painted image of Christ. The deep and solemn music, the
+venerable and peaceful aspect of the strangers, the solemnity of the
+occasion, touched the heart of Ethelbert, already favorably inclined, as
+we may believe, to the faith of his loved wife.
+
+Augustine had brought interpreters from Gaul. By their aid he conveyed
+to the king the message he had been sent to bring. Ethelbert listened in
+silence, the queen in rapt attention, the warriors and priests doubtless
+with varied sentiments. The appeal of Augustine at an end, Ethelbert
+spoke.
+
+"Your words are fair," he said, "but they are new, and of doubtful
+meaning. For myself, I propose to worship still the gods of my fathers.
+But you bring peace and good words; you are welcome to my kingdom; while
+you stay here you shall have shelter and protection."
+
+His land was a land of plenty, he told them; food, drink, and lodging
+should be theirs, and none should do them wrong; England should be their
+home while they chose to stay.
+
+With these words the audience ended. Augustine and his monks fell again
+into procession, and, with singing of psalms and display of holy
+emblems, moved solemnly towards the city of Canterbury, where Bertha's
+church awaited them. As they entered the city they sang:
+
+"Turn from this city, O Lord, thine anger and wrath, and turn it from
+Thy holy house, for we have sinned." Then Gregory's joyful cry of
+"Alleluia! Alleluia!" burst from their devout lips, as they moved into
+the first English church.
+
+[Illustration: CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.]
+
+The work of the "strangers from Rome" proceeded but slowly. Some
+converts were made, but Ethelbert held aloof. Fortunately for Augustine,
+he had an advocate in the palace, one with near and dear speech in the
+king's ear. We cannot doubt that the gentle influence of Queen Bertha
+was a leading power in Ethelbert's conversion. A year passed. At its end
+the king gave way. On the day of Pentecost he was baptized. Christ had
+succeeded Odin and Thor on the throne of the English heart, for the
+story of the king's conversion carried his kingdom with it. The men of
+Kent, hearing that their king had adopted the new faith, crowded the
+banks of the Swale, eager for baptism. The under-kings of Essex and
+East-Anglia became Christians. On the succeeding Christmas-day ten
+thousand of the people followed the example of their king. The new faith
+spread with wonderful rapidity throughout the kingdom of Kent.
+
+When word of this great event reached Pope Gregory at Rome his heart was
+filled with joy. He exultingly wrote to a friend that his missionaries
+had spread the religion of Christ "in the most remote parts of the
+world," and at once appointed Augustine archbishop of Canterbury and
+primate of all England, that he might complete the work he had so
+promisingly begun. Such is the story of the Christianizing of England as
+told in the ancient chronicle of the venerable Bede, the earliest of
+English writers.
+
+As yet only Kent had been converted. North of it lay the kingdom of
+Northumbria, still a pagan realm. The story of its conversion, as told
+by Bede, is of no less interest than that just related. Edwin was its
+king, a man of great ability for that early day. His prowess is shown in
+a proverb: "A woman with her babe might walk scathless from sea to sea
+in Edwin's day." The highways, long made dangerous by outlaw and
+ruthless warrior, were now safe avenues of travel; the springs by the
+road-side were marked by stakes, while brass cups beside them awaited
+the traveller's hand. Edwin ruled over all northern England, as
+Ethelbert did over the south. Edinburgh was within his dominions, and
+from him it had its name,--Edwin's burgh, the city of Edwin.
+
+Christianity came to this monarch's heart in some such manner as it had
+reached that of Ethelbert, through the appealing influence of his wife.
+A daughter of King Ethelbert had come to share his throne. She, like
+Bertha her mother, was a Christian. With her came the monk Paulinus,
+from the church at Canterbury. He was a man of striking aspect,--of tall
+and stooping form, slender, aquiline nose, and thin, worn face, round
+which fell long black hair. The ardent missionary, aided doubtless by
+the secret appeals of the queen, soon produced an influence upon the
+intelligent mind of Edwin. The monarch called a council of his wise men,
+to talk with them about the new doctrine which had been taught in his
+realm. Of what passed at that council we have but one short speech, but
+it is one that illuminates it as no other words could have done, a
+lesson in prose which is full of the finest spirit of poetry, perhaps
+the most picturesque image of human life that has ever been put into
+words.
+
+"So seems to me the life of man, O king," said an aged noble, "as a
+sparrow's flight through the hall when you are sitting at meat in
+winter-tide, with the warm fire lighted on the hearth, while outside all
+is storm of rain and snow. The sparrow flies in at one door, and tarries
+for a moment in the light and heat of the fire within, and then, flying
+forth from the other, vanishes into the wintry darkness whence it came.
+So the life of man tarries for a moment in our sight; but of what went
+before it, or what is to follow it, we know nothing. If this new
+teaching tells us something more certain of these things, let us follow
+it."
+
+Such an appeal could not but have a powerful effect upon his hearers.
+Those were days when men were more easily moved by sentiment than by
+argument. Edwin and his councillors heard with favoring ears. Not last
+among them was Coifi, chief priest of the idol-worship, whose ardent
+soul was stirred by the words of the old thane.
+
+"None of your people, King Edwin, have worshipped the gods more busily
+than I," he said, "yet there are many who have been more favored and are
+more fortunate. Were these gods good for anything they would help their
+worshippers."
+
+Grasping his spear, the irate priest leaped on his horse, and riding at
+full speed towards the temple sacred to the heathen gods, he hurled the
+warlike weapon furiously into its precincts.
+
+The lookers-on, nobles and commons alike, beheld his act with awe, in
+doubt if the deities of their old worship would not avenge with death
+this insult to their fane. Yet all remained silent; no thunders rent the
+skies; the desecrating priest sat his horse unharmed. When, then, he
+bade them follow him to the neighboring stream, to be baptized in its
+waters into the new faith, an eager multitude crowded upon his steps.
+
+The spot where Edwin and his followers were baptized is thus described
+by Camden, in his "Description of Great Britain," etc.: "In the Roman
+times, not far from its bank upon the little river Foulness (where
+Wighton, a small town, but well-stocked with husbandmen, now stands),
+there seems to have formerly stood Delgovitia; as it is probable both
+from the likeness and the signification of the name. For the British
+word _Delgwe_ (or rather _Ddelw_) signifies the statues or images of the
+heathen gods; and in a little village not far off there stood an
+idol-temple, which was in very great honor in the Saxon times, and, from
+the heathen gods in it, was then called Godmundingham, and now, in the
+same sense, Godmanham." It was into this temple that Coifi flung his
+desecrating spear, and in this stream that Edwin the king received
+Christian baptism.
+
+But Christianity did not win England without a struggle. After the
+death of Ethelbert and Edwin, paganism revived and fought hard for the
+mastery. The Roman monks lost their energy, and were confined to the
+vicinity of Canterbury. Conversion came again, but from the west instead
+of the east, from Ireland instead of Rome.
+
+Christianity had been received with enthusiasm in Erin's isle. Less than
+half a century after the death of St. Patrick, the first missionary,
+flourishing Christian schools existed at Darrow and Armagh, letters and
+the arts were cultivated, and missionaries were leaving the shores of
+Ireland to carry the faith elsewhere. From the famous monastery which
+they founded at Iona, on the west coast of Scotland, came the new
+impulse which gave Christianity its fixed footing in England, and
+finally drove paganism from Britain's shores. Oswald, of Northumbria,
+became the bulwark of the new faith; Penda, of Mercia, the sword of
+heathendom; and a long struggle for religion and dominion ensued between
+these warlike chiefs. Oswald was slain in battle; Penda led his
+conquering host far into the Christian realm; but a new king, Oswi by
+name, overthrew Penda and his army in a great defeat, and the worship of
+the older gods in England was at an end. But a half-century of struggle
+and bloodshed passed before the victory of Christ over Odin was fully
+won.
+
+
+
+
+_KING ALFRED AND THE DANES._
+
+
+In his royal villa at Chippenham, on the left bank of the gently-flowing
+Avon, sat King Alfred, buried in his books. It was the evening of the
+6th of January, in the year 878, a thousand years and more backward in
+time. The first of English kings to whom a book had a meaning,--and the
+last for centuries afterwards,--Alfred, the young monarch, had an
+insatiable thirst for knowledge, a thirst then difficult to quell, for
+books were almost as rare as gold-mines in that day. When a mere child,
+his mother had brought to him and his brothers a handsomely illuminated
+book, saying,--
+
+"I will give this to that one of you four princes who first learns to
+read."
+
+Alfred won the book; so far as we know, he alone sought to win it, for
+the art of reading in those early times was confined to monks, and
+disdained by princes. Ignorance lay like a dismal cloud over England,
+ignorance as dense as the heart of the Dark Ages knew. In the whole land
+the young prince was almost alone in his thirst for knowledge; and when
+he made an effort to study Latin, in which language all worthy
+literature was then written, we are told that there could not be found
+throughout the length and breadth of the land a man competent to teach
+him that sealed tongue. This, however, loses probability in view of the
+fact that the monks were familiar with Latin and that Alfred succeeded
+in acquiring a knowledge of that language.
+
+When little more than a boy Alfred became king. There was left him then
+little time for study, for the Danes, whose ships had long been
+descending in annual raids on England's shores, gave the youthful
+monarch an abundance of more active service. For years he fought them,
+yet in his despite Guthrum, one of their ablest chiefs, sailed up the
+Severn, seized upon a wide region of the realm of Wessex, made
+Gloucester his capital, and defied the feebly-supported English king.
+
+It was midwinter now, a season which the Danes usually spent in rest and
+revelry, and in which England gained some relief from their devastating
+raids. Alfred, dreaming of aught but war, was at home with his slender
+store of much-beloved books in his villa at Chippenham. With him were a
+few of his thanes and a small body of armed attendants, their enjoyment
+the pleasures of the chase and the rude sports of that early period.
+Doubtless, what they deemed the womanish or monkish tastes of their
+young monarch were objects of scorn and ridicule to those hardy thanes,
+upon whom ignorance lay like a thick garment. Yet Alfred could fight as
+well as read. They might disdain his pursuits; they must respect his
+prowess.
+
+While the king lay thus in ease at Chippenham, his enemies at
+Gloucester seemed lost in enjoyment of their spoils. Guthrum had divided
+the surrounding lands among his victorious followers, the Saxons had
+been driven out, slain, or enslaved, and the brutal and barbarous
+victors dwelt in peace and revelry on their new lands, spending the
+winter in riot and wassail, and waiting for the spring-time budding of
+the trees to renew the war with their Saxon foes.
+
+[Illustration: AN ANGLO-SAXON KING.]
+
+Not so with Guthrum. He had sworn revenge on the Saxons. Years before,
+his father, a mighty chieftain, Ragnar by name, had fallen in a raid on
+England. His sons had vowed to Odin to wash out the memory of his death
+in English blood, and Guthrum now determined to take advantage of the
+midwinter season for a sudden and victorious march upon his unsuspecting
+enemy. If he could seize Alfred in his palace, the war might be brought
+to an end, and England won, at a single blow.
+
+If we can take ourselves back in fancy to New-Year's day of 878, and to
+an open plain in the vicinity of Gloucester, we shall see there the
+planted standard of Guthrum floating in the wind, while from every side
+armed horsemen are riding into the surrounding space. They know not why
+they come. A hasty summons has been sent them to meet their chieftain
+here on this day, armed and mounted, and, loyal to their leader, and
+ever ready for war, they ride hastily in, until the Danish champion
+finds himself surrounded by a strong force of hardy warriors, eager to
+learn the cause of this midwinter summons.
+
+"It is war," said Guthrum to his chiefs. "I have sworn to have England,
+and England shall be mine. The Saxons are scattered and at rest, not
+dreaming of battle and blood. Now is our time. A hard and sudden blow
+will end the war, and the fair isle of England will be the Raven's
+spoil."
+
+We may still hear in fancy the wild shouts of approval with which this
+stirring declaration was heard. Visions of slaughter, plunder, and rich
+domains filled the souls of chiefs and men alike, and their eagerness to
+take to the field was such that they could barely wait to hear their
+leader's plans.
+
+"Alfred, the Saxon king, must be ours," said Guthrum. "He is the one man
+I dread in all the Saxon hosts. They have many hands, but only one head.
+Let us seize the head, and the hands are useless. Alfred is at
+Chippenham. Thither let us ride at speed."
+
+Their bands were mustered, their arms examined, and food for the
+expedition prepared, and then to horse and away! Headlong over the
+narrow and forest-bordered roads of that day rode the host of Danes, in
+triumphant expectation of victory and spoil.
+
+In his study sat Alfred, on the night of January 6, poring over an
+illuminated page; or mayhap he was deep in learned consultation with
+some monkish scholar, mayhap presiding at a feast of his thanes: we may
+fancy what we will, for history or legend fails to tell us how he was
+engaged on that critical evening of his life.
+
+But we may imagine a wide-eyed Saxon sentinel, seared and hasty,
+breaking upon the monarch's leisure with the wild alarm-cry,--
+
+"Up and away, my king! The Danes are coming! hosts of them, armed and
+horsed! Up and away!"
+
+Hardly had he spoken before the hoof-beats of the advancing foe were
+heard. On they came, extending their lines as they rode at headlong
+speed, hoping to surround the villa and seize the king before the alarm
+could be given.
+
+They were too late. Alfred was quick to hear, to heed, and to act.
+Forest bordered the villa; into the forest he dashed, his followers
+following in tumultuous haste. The Danes made what haste the
+obstructions in their way permitted. In a few minutes they had swept
+round the villa, with ringing shouts of triumph. In a few minutes more
+they were treading its deserted halls, Guthrum at their head, furious to
+find that his hoped-for prey had vanished and left him but the empty
+shell of his late home.
+
+"After him!" cried the furious Dane. "He cannot be far. This place is
+full of signs of life. He has fled into the forest. After him! A king's
+prize for the man who seizes him."
+
+In vain their search, the flying king knew his own woods too well to be
+overtaken by the Danes. Yet their far cries filled his ears, and roused
+him to thoughts of desperate resistance. He looked around on his handful
+of valiant followers.
+
+"Let us face them!" he cried, in hot anger. "We are few, but we fight
+for our homes. Let us meet these baying hounds!"
+
+"No, no," answered the wisest of his thanes. "It would be worse than
+rash, it would be madness. They are twenty--a hundred, mayhap--to our
+one. Let us fly now, that we may fight hereafter. All is not lost while
+our king is free, and we to aid him."
+
+Alfred was quick to see the wisdom of this advice. He must bide his
+time. To strike now might be to lose all. To wait might be to gain all.
+He turned with a meaning look to his faithful thanes.
+
+"In sooth, you speak well," he said. "The wisdom of the fox is now
+better than the courage of the lion. We must part here. The land for the
+time is the Danes'. We cannot hinder them. They will search homestead
+and woodland for me. Before a fortnight's end they will have swarmed
+over all Wessex, and Guthrum will be lord of the land. I admire that
+man; he is more than a barbarian, he knows the art of war. He shall
+learn yet that Alfred is his match. We must part."
+
+"Part?" said the thanes, looking at him in doubt. "Wherefore?"
+
+"I must seek safety alone and in disguise. There are not enough of you
+to help me; there are enough to betray me to suspicion. Go your ways,
+good friends. Save yourselves. We will meet again before many weeks to
+strike a blow for our country. But the time is not yet."
+
+History speaks not from the depths of that woodland whither Alfred had
+fled with his thanes. We cannot say if just these words were spoken, but
+such was the purport of their discourse. They separated, the thanes and
+their followers to seek their homes; Alfred, disguised as a peasant, to
+thread field and forest on foot towards a place of retreat which he had
+fixed upon in his mind. Not even to the faithfulest of his thanes did he
+tell the secret of his abode. For the present it must be known to none
+but himself.
+
+Meanwhile, the cavalry of Guthrum were raiding the country far and wide.
+Alfred had escaped, but England lay helpless in their grasp. News
+travelled slowly in those days. Everywhere the Saxons first learned of
+the war by hearing the battle-cry of the Danes. The land was overrun.
+England seemed lost. Its only hope of safety lay in a man who would not
+acknowledge defeat, a monarch who could bide his time.
+
+The lonely journey of the king led him to the centre of Somersetshire.
+Here, at the confluence of the Tone and the Parret, was a small island,
+afterwards known as Ethelingay, or Prince's Island. Around it spread a
+wide morass, little likely to be crossed by his pursuers. Here, still
+disguised, the fugitive king sought a refuge from his foes.
+
+For several months Alfred remained in this retreat, his place of refuge
+during part of the time being in the hut of a swineherd; and thereupon
+hangs a tale. Whether or not the worthy herdsman knew his king,
+certainly the weighty secret was not known to his wife. One day, while
+Alfred sat by the fire, his hands busy with his bow and arrows, his head
+mayhap busy with plans against the Danes, the good woman of the house
+was engaged in baking cakes on the hearth.
+
+Having to leave the hut for a few minutes, she turned to her guest, and
+curtly bade him watch the cakes, to see that they did not get overdone.
+
+"Trust me for that," he said.
+
+She left the room. The cakes smoked on the hearth, yet he saw them not.
+The goodwife returned in a brief space, to find her guest buried in a
+deep study, and her cakes burned to a cinder.
+
+"What!" she cried, with an outburst of termagant spleen, "I warrant you
+will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by, you idle dog! and yet you
+cannot watch them burning under your very eyes."
+
+What the king said in reply the tradition which has preserved this
+pleasant tale fails to relate. Doubtless it needed some of the
+swineherd's eloquence to induce his irate wife to bake a fresh supply
+for their careless guest.
+
+It had been Guthrum's main purpose, as we may be assured, in his rapid
+ride to Chippenham, to seize the king. In this he had failed; but the
+remainder of his project went successfully forward. Through Dorset,
+Berkshire, Wilts, and Hampshire rode his men, forcing the people
+everywhere to submit. The country was thinly settled, none knew the fate
+of the king, resistance would have been destruction, they bent before
+the storm, hoping by yielding to save their lives and some portion of
+their property from the barbarian foe. Those near the coast crossed with
+their families and movable effects to Gaul. Elsewhere submission was
+general, except in Somersetshire, where alone a body of faithful
+warriors, lurking in the woods, kept in arms against the invaders.
+
+Alfred's secret could not yet be safely revealed. Guthrum had not given
+over his search for him. Yet some of the more trusty of his subjects
+were told where he might be found, and a small band joined him in his
+morass-guarded isle. Gradually the news spread, and others sought the
+isle of Ethelingay, until a well-armed and sturdy band of followers
+surrounded the royal fugitive. This party must be fed. The island
+yielded little subsistence. The king was obliged to make foraging raids
+from his hiding-place. Now and then he met and defeated straggling
+parties of Danes, taking from them their spoils. At other times, when
+hard need pressed, he was forced to forage on his own subjects.
+
+Day by day the news went wider through Saxon homes, and more warriors
+sought their king. As the strength of his band increased, Alfred made
+more frequent and successful forays. The Danes began to find that
+resistance was not at an end. By Easter the king felt strong enough to
+take a more decided action. He had a wooden bridge thrown from the
+island to the shore, to facilitate the movements of his followers, while
+at its entrance was built a fort, to protect the island party against a
+Danish incursion.
+
+Such was the state of Alfred's fortunes and of England's hopes in the
+spring of 878. Three months before, all southern England, with the
+exception of Gloucester and its surrounding lands, had been his. Now his
+kingdom was a small island in the heart of a morass, his subjects a
+lurking band of faithful warriors, his subsistence what could be wrested
+from the strong hands of the foe.
+
+While matters went thus in Somerset, a storm of war gathered in Wales.
+Another of Ragnar's sons, Ubbo by name, had landed on the Welsh coast,
+and, carrying everything before him, was marching inland to join his
+victorious brother.
+
+He was too strong for the Saxons of that quarter to make head against
+him in the open field. Odun, the valiant ealderman who led them, fled,
+with his thanes and their followers, to the castle of Kwineth, a
+stronghold defended only by a loose wall of stones, in the Saxon
+fashion. But the fortress occupied the summit of a lofty rock, and bade
+defiance to assault. Ubbo saw this. He saw, also, that water must be
+wanting on that steep rock. He pitched his tents at its foot, and waited
+till thirst should compel a surrender of the garrison.
+
+He was to find that it is not always wise to cut off the supplies of a
+beleaguered foe. Despair aids courage. A day came in the siege in which
+Odun, grown desperate, left his defences before dawn, glided silently
+down the hill with his men, and fell so impetuously upon the Danish
+host that the chief and twelve hundred of his followers were slain, and
+the rest driven in panic to their ships. The camp, rich with the spoil
+of Wales, fell into the victors' hands, while their trophies included
+the great Raven standard of the Danes, said to have been woven in one
+noontide by Ragnar's three daughters. This was a loss that presaged
+defeat to the Danes, for they were superstitious concerning this
+standard. If the raven appeared to flap its wings when going into
+battle, victory seemed to them assured. If it hung motionless, defeat
+was feared. Its loss must have been deemed fatal.
+
+Tidings of this Saxon victory flew as if upon wings throughout England,
+and everywhere infused new spirit into the hearts of the people, new
+hope of recovering their country from the invading foe. To Alfred the
+news brought a heart-tide of joy. The time for action was at hand.
+Recruits came to him daily; fresh life was in his people; trusty
+messengers from Ethelingay sought the thanes throughout the land, and
+bade them, with their followers, to join the king at Egbert, on the
+eastern border of Selwood forest, in the seventh week after Easter.
+
+Guthrum, meanwhile, was not idle. The frequent raids in
+mid-Somersetshire had taught him where his royal enemy might be found.
+Action, immediate and decisive, was necessary, or Alfred would be again
+in the field with a Saxon army, and the fruits of the successful
+midwinter raid be lost. Messengers were sent in haste to call in the
+scattered Danish bands, and a fortified camp was formed in a strong
+place in the vicinity of Ethelingay, whence a concerted movement might
+be made upon the lurking foe.
+
+The time fixed for the gathering of the Saxon host was at hand. It was
+of high importance that the numbers and disposition of the Danes should
+be learned. The king, if we may trust tradition, now undertook an
+adventure that has ever since been classed among the choicest treasures
+of romance. The duty demanded was too important to trust to any doubtful
+hands. Alfred determined himself to venture within the camp of the
+Danes, observe how they were fortified and how arranged, and use this
+vital information when the time for battle came.
+
+The enterprise was less desperate than might seem. Alfred's form and
+face were little known to his enemies. He was a skilful harper. The
+glee-man in those days was a privileged person, allied to no party, free
+to wander where he would, and to twang his harp-strings in any camp. He
+might look for welcome from friend and foe.
+
+Dressed in Danish garb, and bearing the minstrel's harp, the daring king
+boldly sought and entered the camp of the invaders, his coming greeted
+with joy by the Danish warriors, who loved martial music as they loved
+war.
+
+Songs of Danish prowess fell from the disguised minstrel's lips, to the
+delight of his audience. In the end Guthrum and his chiefs heard report
+of the coming of this skilled glee-man, and ordered that he should be
+brought to the great tent, where they sat carousing, in hopeful
+anticipation of coming victory.
+
+Alfred, nothing loath, sought Guthrum's tent, where, with stirring songs
+of the old heroes of their land, he flattered the ears of the chiefs,
+who applauded him to the echo, and at times broke into wild refrains to
+his warlike odes. All that passed we cannot say. The story is told by
+tradition only, and tradition is not to be trusted for details.
+Doubtless, when the royal spy slipped from the camp of his foes he bore
+with him an accurate mind-picture of the numbers, the discipline, and
+the arrangement of the Danish force, which would be of the highest value
+in the coming fray.
+
+Meanwhile, the Saxon hosts were gathering. When the day fixed by the
+king arrived they were there: men from Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devonshire,
+and Somerset; men in smaller numbers from other counties; all glad to
+learn that England was on its feet again, all filled with joy to see
+their king in the field. Their shouts filled the leafy alleys of the
+forest, they hailed the king as the land's avenger, every heart beat
+high with assurance of victory. Before night of the day of meeting the
+woodland camp was overcrowded with armed men, and at dawn of the next
+day Alfred led them to a place named Icglea, where, on the forest's
+edge, a broad plain spread with a morass on its front. All day long
+volunteers came to the camp; by night Alfred had an army in open field,
+in place of the guerilla band with which, two days before, he had
+lurked in the green aisles of Selwood forest, like a Robin Hood of an
+earlier day, making the verdant depths of the greenwood dales his home.
+
+At dawn of the next day the king marshalled his men in battle array, and
+occupied the summit of Ethandune, a lofty eminence in the vicinity of
+his camp. The Danes, fiery with barbaric valor, boldly advanced, and the
+two armies met in fierce affray, shouting their war-cries, discharging
+arrows and hurling javelins, and rushing like wolves of war to the
+closer and more deadly hand-to-hand combat of sword and axe, of the
+shock of the contending forces, the hopes and fears of victory and
+defeat, the deeds of desperate valor, the mighty achievements of noted
+chiefs, on that hard-fought field no Homer has sung, and they must
+remain untold. All we know is that the Danes fought with desperate
+valor, the English with a courage inspired by revenge, fear of slavery,
+thirst for liberty, and the undaunted resolution of men whose every blow
+was struck for home and fireside.
+
+In the end patriotism prevailed over the baser instinct of piracy; the
+Danes were defeated, and driven in tumultuous hosts to their intrenched
+camp, falling in multitudes as they fled, for the incensed English laid
+aside all thought of mercy in the hot fury of pursuit.
+
+Only when within the shelter of his works was Guthrum able to make head
+against his victorious foe. The camp seemed too strong to be taken by
+assault, nor did Alfred care to immolate his men while a safer and surer
+expedient remained. He had made himself fully familiar with its
+formation, knew well its weak and strong points and its sparseness of
+supplies, and without loss of time spread his forces round it, besieging
+it so closely that not a Dane could escape. For fourteen days the siege
+went on, Alfred's army, no doubt, daily increasing, that of his foe
+wasting away before the ceaseless flight of arrows and javelins.
+
+Guthrum was in despair. Famine threatened him. Escape was impossible.
+Hardly a bird could have fled unseen through the English lines. At the
+end of the fortnight he yielded, and asked for terms of surrender. The
+war was at an end. England was saved.
+
+In his moment of victory Alfred proved generous. He gave the Danes an
+abiding-place upon English soil, on condition that they should dwell
+there as his vassals. To this they were to bind themselves by oath and
+the giving of hostages. Another condition was that Guthrum and his
+leading chiefs should give up their pagan faith and embrace
+Christianity.
+
+To these terms the Danish leader acceded. A few weeks after the fight
+Aubre, near Athelney, was the scene of the baptizing of Guthrum and
+thirty of his chiefs. To his heathen title was added the Saxon name of
+Athelstan, Alfred standing sponsor to the new convert to the Christian
+faith. Eight days afterwards Guthrum laid off the white robe and
+chrysmal fillet of his new faith, and in twelve days bade adieu to his
+victorious foe, now, to all seeming, his dearest friend. What sum of
+Christian faith the baptized heathen took with him to the new lands
+assigned him it would be rash to say, but at all events he was removed
+from the circle of England's foes.
+
+The treaty of Wedmore freed southern England from the Danes. The shores
+of Wessex were teased now and then by after-descents, but these
+incursions were swept away like those of stinging hornets. In 894 a
+fleet of three hundred ships invaded the realm, but they met a crushing
+defeat. The king was given some leisure to pursue those studies to which
+his mind so strongly inclined, and to carry forward measures for the
+education of his people by the establishment of schools which, like
+those of Charlemagne in France, vanished before he was fairly in the
+grave. This noble knight died in 901, nearly a thousand years ago, after
+having proved himself one of the ablest warriors and most advanced minds
+that ever occupied the English throne.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOOING OF ELFRIDA._
+
+
+Of all the many fair maidens of the Saxon realm none bore such fame for
+beauty as the charming Elfrida, daughter of the earl of Devonshire, and
+the rose of southern England. She had been educated in the country and
+had never been seen in London, but the report of her charms of face and
+person spread so widely that all the land became filled with the tale.
+
+It soon reached the court and came to the ears of Edgar, the king, a
+youthful monarch who had an open ear for all tales of maidenly beauty.
+He was yet but little more than a boy, was unmarried, and a born lover.
+The praises of this country charmer, therefore, stirred his susceptible
+heart. She was nobly born, the heiress to an earldom, the very rose of
+English maidens,--what better consort for the throne could be found? If
+report spoke true, this was the maiden he should choose for wife, this
+fairest flower of the Saxon realm. But rumor grows apace, and common
+report is not to be trusted. Edgar thought it the part of discretion to
+make sure of the beauty of the much-lauded Elfrida before making a
+formal demand for her hand in marriage.
+
+Devonshire was far away, roads few and poor in Saxon England, travel
+slow and wearisome, and the king had no taste for the journey to the
+castle of Olgar of Devon. Nor did he deem it wise to declare his
+intention till he made sure that the maiden was to his liking. He,
+therefore, spoke of his purpose to Earl Athelwold, his favorite, whom he
+bade to pay a visit, on some pretence, to Earl Olgar of Devonshire, to
+see his renowned daughter, and to bring to the court a certain account
+concerning her beauty.
+
+Athelwold went to Devonshire, saw the lady, and proved faithless to his
+trust. Love made him a traitor, as it has made many before and since his
+day. So marvellously beautiful he found Elfrida that his heart fell
+prisoner to the most vehement love, a passion so ardent that it drove
+all thoughts of honor and fidelity from his soul, and he determined to
+have this charming lass of Devonshire for his own, despite king or
+commons.
+
+Athelwold's high station had secured him a warm welcome from his brother
+earl. He acquitted himself of his pretended mission to Olgar, basked as
+long as prudence permitted in the sunlight of his lady's eyes, and,
+almost despite himself, made manifest to Elfrida the sudden passion that
+had filled his soul. The maiden took it not amiss. Athelwold was young,
+handsome, rich, and high in station, Elfrida susceptible and ambitious,
+and he returned to London not without hope that he had favorably
+impressed the lady's heart, and filled with the faithless purpose of
+deceiving the king.
+
+"You have seen and noted her, Athelwold," said Edgar, on giving him
+audience; "what have you to say? Has report spoken truly? Is she indeed
+the marvellous beauty that rumor tells, or has fame, the liar, played us
+one of his old tricks?"
+
+"Not altogether; the woman is not bad-looking," said Athelwold, with
+studied lack of enthusiasm; "but I fear that high station and a pretty
+face have combined to bewitch the people. Certainly, if she had been of
+low birth, her charms would never have been heard of outside her native
+village."
+
+"I' faith, Athelwold, you are not warm in your praise of this queen of
+beauty," said Edgar, with some disappointment. "Rumor, then, has lied,
+and she is but an every-day woman, after all?"
+
+"Beauty has a double origin," answered Athelwold; "it lies partly in the
+face seen, partly in the eyes seeing. Some might go mad over this
+Elfrida, but to my taste London affords fairer faces. I speak but for
+myself. Should you see her you might think differently."
+
+Athelwold had managed his story shrewdly; the king's ardor grew cold.
+
+"If the matter stands thus, he that wants her may have her," said Edgar.
+"The diamond that fails to show its lustre in all candles is not the gem
+for my wearing. Confess, Athelwold, you are trying to overpaint this
+woman; you found only an ordinary face."
+
+"I saw nothing in it extraordinary," answered the faithless envoy. "Some
+might, perhaps. I can only speak for myself. As I take it, Elfrida's
+noble birth and her father's wealth, which will come to her as sole
+heiress, have had their share in painting this rose. The woman may have
+beauty enough for a countess; hardly enough for a queen."
+
+"Then you should have wooed and won her yourself," said Edgar, laughing.
+"Such a faintly-praised charmer is not for me. I leave her for a
+lower-born lover."
+
+Several days passed. Athelwold had succeeded in his purpose; the king
+had evidently been cured of his fancy for Elfrida. The way was open for
+the next step in his deftly-laid scheme. He took it by turning the
+conversation, in a later interview, upon the Devon maiden.
+
+"I have been thinking over your remark, that I should woo and win
+Elfrida myself," he said. "It seems to me not a bad idea. I must confess
+that the birth and fortune of the lady added no beauty to her in my
+eyes, as it seems to have done in those of others; yet I cannot but
+think that the woman would make a suitable match for me. She is an
+earl's daughter, and she will inherit great wealth; these are advantages
+which fairly compensate some lack of beauty. I have decided, therefore,
+sire, if I can gain your approbation, to ask Olgar for his daughter's
+hand. I fancy I can gain her consent if I have his."
+
+"I shall certainly not stand in your way," said the king, pleased with
+the opportunity to advance his favorite's fortunes. "By all means do as
+you propose. I will give you letters to the earl and his lady,
+recommending the match. You must trust to yourself to make your way with
+the maiden."
+
+"I think she is not quite displeased with me," answered Athelwold.
+
+What followed few words may tell. The passion of love in Athelwold's
+heart had driven out all considerations of honor and duty, of the good
+faith he owed the king, and of the danger of his false and treacherous
+course. Warm with hope, he returned with a lover's haste to Devonshire,
+where he gained the approval of the earl and countess, won the hand and
+seemingly the heart of their beautiful daughter, and was speedily united
+to the lady of his love, and became for the time being the happiest man
+in England.
+
+But before the honey-moon was well over, the faithless friend and
+subject realized that he had a difficult and dangerous part to play. He
+did not dare let Edgar see his wife, for fear of the instant detection
+of his artifice, and he employed every pretence to keep her in the
+country. His duties at the court brought him frequently to London, but
+with the skill at excuses he had formerly shown he contrived to satisfy
+for the time the queries of the king and the importunities of his wife,
+who had a natural desire to visit the capital and to shine at the king's
+court.
+
+Athelwold was sailing between Scylla and Charybdis. He could scarcely
+escape being wrecked on the rocks of his own falsehood. The enemies who
+always surround a royal favorite were not long in surmising the truth,
+and lost no time in acquainting Edgar with their suspicions.
+Confirmation was not wanting. There were those in London who had seen
+Elfrida. The king's eyes were opened to the treacherous artifice of
+which he had been made the victim.
+
+Edgar was deeply incensed, but artfully concealed his anger. Reflection,
+too, told him that these men were Athelwold's enemies, and that the man
+he had loved and trusted ought not to be condemned on the insinuations
+of his foes. He would satisfy himself if his favorite had played the
+traitor, and if so would visit him with the punishment he deserved.
+
+"Athelwold," said Edgar, in easy tones, "I am surprised you do not bring
+your wife to court. Surely the woman, if she is true woman, must crave
+to come."
+
+"Not she," answered Athelwold. "She loves the country well and is a
+pattern of the rural virtues. The woman is homely and home-loving, and I
+should be sorry to put new ideas in her rustic pate. Moreover, I fear my
+little candle would shine too poorly among your courtly stars to offer
+her in contrast."
+
+"Fie on you, man! the wife of Athelwold cannot be quite a milkmaid. If
+you will not bring her here, then I must pay you a visit in your castle;
+I like you too well not to know and like your wife."
+
+This proposition of the king filled Athelwold with terror and dismay. He
+grew pale, and hesitatingly sought to dissuade Edgar from his project,
+but in vain. The king had made up his mind, and laughingly told him
+that he could not rest till he had seen the homely housewife whom
+Athelwold was afraid to trust in court.
+
+"I feel the honor you would do me," at length remarked the dismayed
+favorite. "I only ask, sire, that you let me go before you a few hours,
+that my castle may be properly prepared for a visit from my king."
+
+"As you will, gossip," laughed the king. "Away with you, then; I will
+soon follow."
+
+In all haste the traitor sought his castle, quaking with fear, and
+revolving in his mind schemes for avoiding the threatened disclosure. He
+could think of but one that promised success, and that depended on the
+love and compliance of Elfrida. He had deceived her. He must tell her
+the truth. With her aid his faithless action might still be concealed.
+
+Entering his castle, he sought Elfrida and revealed to her the whole
+measure of his deceit, how he had won her from the king, led by his
+overpowering love, how he had kept her from the king's eyes, and how
+Edgar now, filled, he feared, with suspicion, was on his way to the
+castle to see her for himself.
+
+In moving accents the wretched man appealed to her, if she had any
+regard for his honor and his life, to conceal from the king that fatal
+beauty which had lured him from his duty to his friend and monarch, and
+led him into endless falsehoods. He had but his love to offer as a
+warrant for his double faithlessness, and implored Elfrida, as she
+returned his affection, to lend her aid to his exculpation. If she loved
+him as she seemed, she would put on her homliest attire, employ the
+devices of the toilette to hide her fatal beauty, and assume an awkward
+and rustic tone and manner, that the king might be deceived.
+
+Elfrida heard him in silence, her face scarcely concealing the
+indignation which burned in her soul on learning the artifice by which
+she had been robbed of a crown. In the end, however, she seemed moved by
+his entreaties and softened by his love, and promised to comply with his
+wishes and do her utmost to conceal her charms.
+
+Gratified with this compliance, and full of hope that all would yet be
+safe, Athelwold completed his preparations for the reception of the
+king, and met him on his appearance with every show of honor and
+respect. Edgar seemed pleased by his reception, entered the castle, but
+was not long there before he asked to see its lady, saying merrily that
+she had been the loadstone that had drawn him thither, and that he was
+eager to behold her charming face.
+
+"I fear I have little of beauty and grace to show you," answered
+Athelwold; "but she is a good wife withal, and I love her for virtues
+which few would call courtly."
+
+He turned to a servant and bade him ask his mistress to come to the
+castle hall, where the king expected her.
+
+Athelwold waited with hopeful eyes; the king with curious expectation.
+The husband knew how unattractive a toilet his wife could make if she
+would; Edgar was impatient to test for himself the various reports he
+had received concerning this wild rose of Devonshire.
+
+The lady entered. The hope died from Athelwold's eyes; the pallor of
+death overspread his face. A sudden light flashed into the face of the
+king, a glow made up of passion and anger. For instead of the
+ill-dressed and awkward country housewife for whom Athelwold looked,
+there beamed upon all present a woman of regal beauty, clad in her
+richest attire, her charms of face and person set off with all the
+adornment that jewels and laces could bestow, her face blooming into its
+most engaging smile as she greeted the king.
+
+She had deceived her trusting husband. His story of treachery had driven
+from her heart all the love for him that ever dwelt there. He had robbed
+her of a throne; she vowed revenge in her soul; it might be hers yet;
+with the burning instinct of ambition she had adorned herself to the
+utmost, hoping to punish her faithless lord and win the king.
+
+She succeeded. While Athelwold stood by, biting his lips, striving to
+bring back the truant blood to his face, making hesitating remarks to
+his guest, and turning eyes of deadly anger on his wife, the scheming
+woman was using her most engaging arts of conversation and manner to win
+the king, and with a success greater than she knew. Edgar beheld her
+beauty with surprise and joy, his heart throbbing with ardent passion.
+She was all and more than he had been told. Athelwold had basely
+deceived him, and his new-born love for the wife was mingled with a
+fierce desire for revenge upon the husband. But the artful monarch
+dissembled both these passions. He was, to a certain extent, in
+Athelwold's power. His train was not large, and those were days in which
+an angry or jealous thane would not hesitate to lift his hand against a
+king. He, therefore, affected not to be struck with Elfrida's beauty,
+was gracious as usual to his host, and seemed the most agreeable of
+guests.
+
+But passion was burning in his heart, the double passion of love and
+revenge. A day or two of this play of kingly clemency passed, then
+Athelwold and his guests went to hunt in the neighboring forest, and in
+the heat of the chase Edgar gained the opportunity he desired. He
+stabbed his unsuspecting host in the back, left him dead on the field,
+and rode back to the castle to declare his love to the suddenly-widowed
+wife.
+
+Elfrida had won the game for which she had so heartlessly played.
+Ambition in her soul outweighed such love as she bore for Athelwold, and
+she received with gracious welcome the king whose hands were still red
+from the murder of her late spouse. No long time passed before Edgar and
+Elfrida were publicly married, and the love romance which had
+distinguished the life of the famed beauty of Devonshire reached its
+consummation.
+
+This romantic story has a sequel which tells still less favorably for
+the Devonshire beauty. She had compassed the murder of her husband. It
+was not her last crime. Edgar died when her son Ethelred was but seven
+years of age. The king had left another son, Edward, by his first wife,
+now fifteen years old. The ambitious woman plotted for the elevation of
+her son to the throne, hoping, doubtless, herself to reign as regent.
+The people favored Edward, as the rightful heir, and the nobility and
+clergy, who feared the imperious temper of Elfrida, determined to thwart
+her schemes. To put an end to the matter, Dunstan the monk, the
+all-powerful king-maker of that epoch, had the young prince anointed and
+crowned. The whole kingdom supported his act, and the hopes of Elfrida
+were seemingly at an end.
+
+But she was a woman not to be easily defeated. She bided her time, and
+affected warm regard for the youthful king, who loved her as if he had
+been her own son, and displayed the most tender affection for his
+brother. Edward, indeed, was a character out of tone with those rude
+tenth-century days, when might was right, and murder was often the first
+step to a throne. He was of the utmost innocence of heart and amiability
+of manners, so pure in his own thoughts that suspicion of others found
+no place in his soul.
+
+One day, four years after his accession, he was hunting in a forest in
+Dorsetshire, not far from Corfe-castle, where Elfrida and Ethelred
+lived. The chances of the chase led him to the vicinity of the castle,
+and, taking advantage of the opportunity to see its loved inmates, he
+rode away from his attendants, and in the evening twilight sounded his
+hunting-horn at the castle gates.
+
+This was the opportunity which the ambitious woman had desired. The
+rival of her son had put himself unattended within her reach. Hastily
+preparing for the reception she designed to give him, she came from the
+castle, smiling a greeting.
+
+"You are heartily welcome, dear king and son," she said. "Pray dismount
+and enter."
+
+"Not so, dear madam," he replied. "My company will miss me, and fear I
+have met with some harm. I pray you give me a cup of wine, that I may
+drink in the saddle to you and my little brother. I would stay longer,
+but may not linger."
+
+Elfrida returned for the wine, and as she did so whispered a few words
+to an armed man in the castle hall, one of her attendants whom she could
+trust. As she went on, this man slipped out in the gathering gloom and
+placed himself close behind the king's horse.
+
+In a minute more Elfrida reappeared, wine-cup in hand. The king took the
+cup and raised it to his lips, looking down with smiling face on his
+step-mother and her son, who smiled their love-greeting back to him. At
+this instant the lurking villain in the rear sprang up and buried his
+fatal knife in the king's back.
+
+Filled with pain and horror, Edward involuntarily dropped the cup and
+spurred his horse. The startled animal sprang forward, Edward clinging
+to his saddle for a few minutes, but soon, faint with loss of blood,
+falling to the earth, while one of his feet remained fast in the
+stirrup.
+
+The frightened horse rushed onward, dragging him over the rough ground
+until death put an end to his misery. The hunters, seeking the king,
+found the track of his blood, and traced him till his body was
+discovered, sadly torn and disfigured.
+
+Meanwhile, the child Ethelred cried out so pitifully at the frightful
+tragedy which had taken place before his eyes, that his heartless mother
+turned her rage against him. She snatched a torch from one of the
+attendants and beat him unmercifully for his uncontrollable emotion.
+
+The woman a second time had won her game,--first, by compassing the
+murder of her husband; second, by ordering the murder of her step-son.
+It is pleasant to say that she profited little by the latter base deed.
+The people were incensed by the murder of the king, and Dunstan resolved
+that Ethelred should not have the throne. He offered it to Edgitha, the
+daughter of Edgar. But that lady wisely preferred to remain in the
+convent where she lived in peace: so, in default of any other heir,
+Ethelred was put upon the throne,--Ethelred the Unready, as he came
+afterwards to be known.
+
+Elfrida at first possessed great influence over her son; but her power
+declined as he grew older, and in the end she retired from the court,
+built monasteries and performed penances, in hopes of providing a refuge
+for her pious soul in heaven, since all men hated her upon the earth.
+
+As regards Edward, his tragical death so aroused the sympathy of the
+people that they named him the Martyr, and believed that miracles were
+wrought at his tomb. It cannot be said that his murder was in any sense
+a martyrdom, but the men of that day did not draw fine lines of
+distinction, and Edward the Martyr he remains.
+
+
+
+
+_THE END OF SAXON ENGLAND._
+
+
+We have two pictures to draw, preliminary scenes to the fatal battle of
+Hastings Hill. The first belongs to the morning of September 25, 1066.
+At Stamford Bridge, on the Derwent River, lay encamped a stalwart host,
+that of Harold Hardrada, king of Norway. With him was Tostig, rebel
+brother of King Harold of England, who had brought this army of
+strangers into the land. On the river near by lay their ships.
+
+Here Harold found them, a formidable force, drawn up in a circle, the
+line marked out by shining spears. The English king had marched hither
+in all haste from the coast, where he had been awaiting the coming of
+William of Normandy. Tostig, the rebel son of Godwin, had brought ruin
+upon the land.
+
+Before the battle commenced, twenty horsemen rode out from Harold's
+vanguard and moved towards the foe. Harold, the king, rode at their
+head. As they drew near they saw a leader of the opposing host, clad in
+a blue mantle and wearing a shining helmet, fall to the earth through
+the stumbling of his horse.
+
+"Who is the man that fell?" asked Harold.
+
+"The king of Norway," answered one of his companions.
+
+"He is a tall and stately warrior," answered Harold, "but his end is
+near."
+
+Then, under command of the king, one of his noble followers rode up to
+the opposing line and called out,--
+
+"Is Tostig, the son of Godwin, here?"
+
+"It would be wrong to say he is not," answered the rebel Englishman,
+stepping into view.
+
+The herald then begged him to make peace with his brother, saying that
+it was dreadful that two men, sons of the same mother, should be in arms
+against each other.
+
+"What will Harold give me if I make peace with him?" asked Tostig.
+
+"He will give you a brother's love and make you earl of Northumberland."
+
+"And what will he give to my friend, the king of Norway?"
+
+"Seven feet of earth for a grave," was the grim answer of the envoy;
+"or, as he seems a very tall man, perhaps a foot or two more."
+
+"Ride back, then," said Tostig, "and bid Harold make ready for battle.
+Whatever happens, it shall never be said of Tostig that he basely gave
+up the friend who had helped him in time of need."
+
+The fight began,--and quickly ended. Hardrada fought like a giant, but
+an arrow in his throat brought him dead to the ground. Tostig fell also,
+and many other chiefs. The Northmen, disheartened, yielded. Harold gave
+them easy terms, bidding them take their ships and sail again to the
+land whence they had come.
+
+This warlike picture on the land may be matched by one upon the sea.
+Over the waves of the English Channel moved a single ship, such a one as
+had rarely been seen upon those waters. Its sails were of different
+bright colors; the vanes at the mast-heads were gilded; the three lions
+of Normandy were painted here and there; the figure-head was a child
+with a bent bow, its arrow pointed towards the land of England. At the
+mainmast-head floated a consecrated banner, which had been sent from
+Rome.
+
+It was the ship of William of Normandy, alone upon the waves. Three
+thousand vessels in all had left with it the shores of France, six or
+seven hundred of them large in size. Now, day was breaking, and the
+king's ship was alone. The others had vanished in the night.
+
+William ordered a sailor to the mast-head to report on what he could
+see.
+
+"I see nothing but the water and the sky," came the lookout's cry from
+above.
+
+"We have outsailed them; we must lay to," said the duke.
+
+Breakfast was served, with warm spiced wine, to keep the crew in good
+heart. After it was over the sailor was again sent aloft.
+
+"I can see four ships, low down in the offing," he proclaimed.
+
+A third time he was sent to the mast-head. His voice now came to those
+on deck filled with merry cheer.
+
+"Now I see a forest of masts and sails," he cried.
+
+Within a few hours afterwards the Normans were landing in Pevensey Bay,
+on the Sussex coast. Harold had been drawn off by the invasion in the
+north, and the new invaders were free to land. Duke William was among
+the first. As he set foot on shore he stumbled and fell. The hearts of
+his knights fell with him, for they deemed this an unlucky sign. But
+William had that ready wit which turns ill into good fortune. Grasping
+two handfuls of the soil, he hastily rose, saying, cheerily, "Thus do I
+seize upon the land of England."
+
+Meanwhile, Harold was feasting, after his victory, at York. As he sat
+there with his captains, a stir was heard at the doors, and in rushed a
+messenger, booted and spurred, and covered with dust from riding fast
+and far.
+
+"The Normans have come!" was his cry. "They have landed at Pevensey Bay.
+They are out already, harrying the land. Smoke and fire are the beacons
+of their march."
+
+That feast came to a sudden end. Soon Harold and his men were in full
+march for London. Here recruits were gathered in all haste. Within a
+week the English king was marching towards where the Normans lay
+encamped. He was counselled to remain and gather more men, leaving some
+one else to lead his army.
+
+"Not so," he replied; "an English king must never turn his back to the
+enemy."
+
+We have now a third picture to draw, and a great one,--that of the
+mighty and momentous conflict which ended in the death of the last of
+the Saxon kings, and the Norman conquest of England.
+
+The force of William greatly outnumbered that of Harold. It comprised
+about sixty thousand men, while Harold had but twenty or thirty
+thousand. And the Normans were more powerfully armed, the English having
+few archers, while many of them were hasty recruits who bore only
+pitchforks and other tools of their daily toil. The English king,
+therefore, did not dare to meet the heavily-armed and mail-clad Normans
+in the open field. Wisely he led his men to the hill of Senlac, near
+Hastings, a spot now occupied by the small town of Battle, so named in
+memory of the great fight. Here he built intrenchments of earth, stones,
+and tree-trunks, behind which he waited the Norman assault. Marshy
+ground covered the English right. In front, at the most exposed
+position, stood the "huscarls," or body-guard, of Harold, men clad in
+mail and armed with great battle-axes, their habit being to interlock
+their shields like a wall. In their midst stood the standard of
+Harold,--with the figure of a warrior worked in gold and gems,--and
+beside it the Golden Dragon of Wessex, a banner of ancient fame. Back of
+them were crowded the half-armed rustics who made up the remainder of
+the army.
+
+Duke William had sought, by ravaging the land, to bring Harold to an
+engagement. He had until now subsisted by plunder. He was now obliged to
+concentrate his forces. A concentrated army cannot feed by pillage.
+There was but one thing for the Norman leader to do. He must attack the
+foe in his strong position, with victory or ruin as his only
+alternatives.
+
+The night before the battle was differently passed by the two armies.
+The Normans spent the hours in prayer and confession to their priests.
+Bishop Odo celebrated mass on the field as day dawned, his white
+episcopal vestment covering a coat of mail, while war-horse and
+battle-axe awaited him when the benediction should be spoken. The
+English, on their side, sat round their watch-fires, drinking great
+horns of ale, and singing warlike lays, as their custom for centuries
+had been.
+
+Day had not dawned on that memorable 14th of October, of the year 1066,
+when both sides were in arms and busily preparing for battle. William
+and Harold alike harangued their men and bade them do their utmost for
+victory. Ruin awaited the one side, slavery the other, if defeat fell
+upon their banners.
+
+William rode a fine Spanish horse, which a Norman had brought from
+Galicia, whither he had gone on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Iago.
+The consecrated standard was borne by his side by one Tonstain, "the
+White," two barons having declined the dangerous honor. Behind him rode
+the pride of the Norman nobility.
+
+On the hill-side before them stood Harold and his stout body-guard,
+trenches and earthworks in their front, their shields locked into a wall
+of iron. In the first line stood the men of Kent, this being their
+ancient privilege. Behind them were ranged the burgesses of London, the
+royal standard in their midst. Beside the standard stood Harold himself,
+his brothers Gurth and Leofwin by his side, and around them a group of
+England's noblest thanes and warriors.
+
+On came the Norman column. Steadily awaited them the English phalanx.
+"Dieu aide!" or "God is our help!" shouted the assailing knights.
+"Christ's rood! the holy rood!" roared back the English warriors. Nearer
+they came, till they looked in each other's eyes, and the battle was
+ready to begin.
+
+And now, from the van of the Norman host, rode a man of renown, the
+minstrel Taillefer. A gigantic man he was, singer, juggler, and champion
+combined. As he rode fearlessly forward he chanted in a loud voice the
+ancient "Song of Roland," flinging his sword in the air with one hand as
+he sang, and catching it as it fell with the other. As he sang, the
+Normans took up the refrain of his song, or shouted their battle cry of
+"Dieu aide."
+
+Onward he rode, thrusting his blade through the body of the first
+Englishman he met. The second he encountered was flung wounded to the
+ground. With the third the "Song of Roland" ended; the giant minstrel
+was hurled from his horse pierced with a mortal wound. He had sung his
+last song. He crossed himself and was at rest.
+
+On came the Normans, the band of knights led by William assailing
+Harold's centre, the mercenary host of French and Bretons attacking his
+flanks. The Norman foot led the van, seeking to force a passage across
+the English stockade. "Out, out!" fiercely shouted the men of Kent, as
+they plied axe and javelin with busy hands. The footmen were driven
+back. The Norman horse in turn were repulsed. Again and again the duke
+rallied and led his knights to the fatal stockade; again and again he
+and his men were driven back. The blood of the Norseman in his veins
+burned with all the old Viking battle-thirst. The headlong valor which
+he had often shown on Norman plains now impelled him relentlessly
+forward. Yet his coolness and readiness never forsook him. The course of
+the battle ever lay before his eyes, its reins in his grasp. At one time
+during the combat the choicest of the Norman cavalry were driven upon a
+deep trench which the English had dug and artfully concealed. In they
+went in numbers, men and horses falling and perishing. Disaster
+threatened Duke William's army. The Bretons, checked by the marshes on
+the right broke in disorder. Panic threatened to spread through the
+whole array, and a wild cry arose that the duke was slain. Men in
+numbers turned their backs upon the foe; a headlong flight was begun.
+
+At this almost fatal moment Duke William's power as a leader revealed
+itself. His horse had been killed, but no harm had come to him.
+Springing to the back of a fresh steed, he spurred before the fugitives,
+and bade them halt, threatened them, struck them with his spear. When
+the cry was repeated that the duke was dead, he tore off his helmet and
+showed his face to the flying host. "Here I am!" he cried, in a
+stentorian voice. "Look at me! I live, and by God's help will conquer
+yet!"
+
+Their leader's voice gave new courage to the Norman host, the flight
+ceased; they rallied, and, following the headlong charge of the duke,
+attacked the English with renewed fierceness and vigor. William fought
+like an aroused lion. Horse after horse was killed under him, but he
+still appeared at the head of his men, shouting his terrible war-cry,
+striking down a foeman with every swing of his mighty iron club.
+
+He broke through the stockade; he spurred furiously on those who guarded
+the king's standard; down went Gurth, the king's brother, before a blow
+of that terrible mace; down went Leofwin, a second brother of the king;
+William's horse fell dead under him, a rider refused to lend him his
+horse, but a blow from that strong mailed hand emptied the saddle, and
+William was again horsed and using his mighty weapon with deadly effect.
+
+Yet despite all his efforts the English line of defence remained
+unbroken. That linked wall of shields stood intact. From behind it the
+terrible battle-axes of Harold's men swung like flails, making crimson
+gaps in the crowded ranks before them. Hours had passed in this
+conflict. It began with day-dawn; the day was waning, yet still the
+English held their own; the fate of England hung in the scale; it began
+to look as if Harold would win.
+
+But Duke William was a man of resources. That wall of shields must be
+rent asunder, or the battle was lost. If it could not be broken by
+assault, it might by retreat. He bade the men around him to feign a
+disorderly flight. The trick succeeded; many of the English leaped the
+stockade and pursued their flying foes. The crafty duke waited until the
+eager pursuers were scattered confusedly down the hill. Then, heading a
+body of horse which he had kept in reserve, he rushed upon the
+disordered mass, cutting them down in multitudes, strewing the hill-side
+with English slain.
+
+Through the abandoned works the duke led his knights, and gained the
+central plateau. On the flanks the French and Bretons poured over the
+stockade and drove back its poorly-armed defenders. It was
+mid-afternoon, and the field already seemed won. Yet when the sunset
+hour came on that red October day the battle still raged. Harold had
+lost his works of defence, yet his huscarls stood stubbornly around him,
+and with unyielding obstinacy fought for their standard and their king.
+The spot on which they made their last fight was that marked afterwards
+by the high altar of Battle Abbey.
+
+The sun was sinking. The battle was not yet decided. For nine hours it
+had raged. Dead bodies by thousands clogged the field. The living fought
+from a platform of the dead. At length, as the sun was nearing the
+horizon, Duke William brought up his archers and bade them pour their
+arrows upon the dense masses crowded around the standard of the English
+king. He ordered them to shoot into the air, that the descending shafts
+might fall upon the faces of the foe.
+
+Victory followed the flight of those plumed shafts. As the sun went down
+one of them pierced Harold's right eye. When they saw him fall the
+Normans rushed like a torrent forward, and a desperate conflict ensued
+over the fallen king. The Saxon standard still waved over the serried
+English ranks. Robert Fitz Ernest, a Norman knight, fought his way to
+the staff. His outstretched hand had nearly grasped it when an English
+battle-axe laid him low. Twenty knights, grouped in mass, followed him
+through the English phalanx. Down they went till ten of them lay
+stretched in death. The other ten reached the spot, tore down the
+English flag, and in a few minutes more the consecrated banner of
+Normandy was flying in its stead.
+
+The conflict was at an end. As darkness came the surviving English fled
+into the woods in their rear. The Normans remained masters of the field.
+Harold, the king, was dead, and all his brothers had fallen; Duke
+William was England's lord. On the very spot where Harold had fallen the
+conqueror pitched his tent, and as darkness settled over vanquished
+England he "sate down to eat and drink among the dead."
+
+No braver fight had ever been made than that which Harold made for
+England. The loss of the Normans had been enormous. On the day after the
+battle the survivors of William's army were drawn up in line, and the
+muster-roll called. To a fourth of the names no answer was returned.
+Among the dead were many of the noblest lords and bravest knights of
+Normandy. Yet there were hungry nobles enough left to absorb all the
+fairest domains of Saxon England, and they crowded eagerly around the
+duke, pressing on him their claims. A new roll was prepared, containing
+the names of the noblemen and gentlemen who had survived the bloody
+fight. This was afterwards deposited in Battle Abbey, which William had
+built upon the hill where Harold made his gallant stand.
+
+The body of the slain king was not easily to be found. Harold's aged
+mother, who had lost three brave sons in the battle, offered Duke
+William its weight in gold for the body of the king. Two monks sought
+for it, but in vain. The Norman soldiers had despoiled the dead, and the
+body of a king could not be told among that heap of naked corpses. In
+the end the monks sent for Editha, a beautiful maiden to whom Harold had
+been warmly attached, and begged her to search for her slain lover.
+
+Editha, the "swan-necked," as some chroniclers term her, groped, with
+eyes half-blinded with tears, through that heap of mutilated dead, her
+soul filled with horror, yet seeking on and on until at length her
+love-true eyes saw and knew the face of the king. Harold's body was
+taken to Waltham Abbey, on the river Lea, a place he had loved when
+alive. Here he was interred, his tomb bearing the simple inscription,
+placed there by the monks of Waltham, "Here lies the unfortunate
+Harold!"
+
+
+
+
+_HEREWARD THE WAKE._
+
+
+Through the mist of the far past of English history there looms up
+before our vision a notable figure, that of Hereward the Wake, the "last
+of the Saxons," as he has been appropriately called, a hero of romance
+perhaps more than of history, but in some respects the noblest warrior
+who fought for Saxon England against the Normans. His story is a fabric
+in which threads of fact and fancy seem equally interwoven; of much of
+his life, indeed, we are ignorant, and tradition has surrounded this
+part of his biography with tales of largely imaginary deeds; but he is a
+character of history as well as of folk lore, and his true story is full
+of the richest elements of romance. It is this noteworthy hero of old
+England with whom we have now to deal.
+
+No one can be sure where Hereward was born, though most probably the
+county of Lincolnshire may claim the honor. We are told that he was heir
+to the lordship of Bourne, in that county. Tradition--for we have not
+yet reached the borders of fact--says that he was a wild and unruly
+youth, disrespectful to the clergy, disobedient to his parents, and so
+generally unmanageable that in the end his father banished him from his
+home.
+
+Little was the truculent lad troubled by this. He had in him the spirit
+of a wanderer and outlaw, but was one fitted to make his mark wherever
+his feet should fall. In Scotland, while still a boy, he killed,
+single-handed, a great bear,--a feat highly considered in those days
+when all battles with man and beast were hand to hand. Next we hear of
+him in Cornwall, one of whose race of giants Hereward found reserved for
+his prowess. This was a fellow of mighty limb and boastful tongue, vast
+in strength and terrible in war, as his own tale ran. Hereward fought
+him, and the giant ceased to boast. Cornwall had a giant the less. Next
+he sought Ireland, and did yeoman service in the wars of that unquiet
+island. Taking ship thence, he made his way to Flanders, where legend
+credits him with wonderful deeds. Battle and bread were the nutriment of
+his existence, the one as necessary to him as the other, and a journey
+of a few hundreds of miles, with the hope of a hard fight at the end,
+was to him but a holiday.
+
+Such is the Hereward to whom tradition introduces us, an idol of popular
+song and story, and doubtless a warrior of unwonted courage and skill,
+agile and strong, ready for every toil and danger, and so keenly alert
+and watchful that men called him the Wake. This vigorous and valiant man
+was born to be the hero and champion of the English, in their final
+struggle for freedom against their Norman foes.
+
+A new passion entered Hereward's soul in Flanders, that of love. He met
+and wooed there a fair lady, Torfrida by name, who became his wife. A
+faithful helpmeet she proved, his good comrade in his wanderings, his
+wise counseller in warfare, and ever a softening influence in the fierce
+warrior's life. Hitherto the sword had been his mistress, his temper the
+turbulent and hasty one of the dweller in camp. Henceforth he owed a
+divided allegiance to love and the sword, and grew softer in mood,
+gentler and more merciful in disposition, as life went on.
+
+To this wandering Englishman beyond the seas came tidings of sad
+disasters in his native land. Harold and his army had been overthrown at
+Hastings, and Norman William was on the throne; Norman earls had
+everywhere seized on English manors, Norman churls, ennobled on the
+field of battle, were robbing and enslaving the old owners of the land.
+The English had risen in the north, and William had harried whole
+counties, leaving a desert where he had found a fertile and flourishing
+land. The sufferings of the English at home touched the heart of this
+genuine Englishman abroad. Hereward the Wake gathered a band of stout
+warriors, took ship, and set sail for his native land.
+
+And now, to a large extent, we leave the realm of legend, and enter the
+domain of fact. Hereward henceforth is a historical character, but a
+history his with shreds of romance still clinging to its skirts. First
+of all, story credits him with descending on his ancestral hall of
+Bourne, then in the possession of Normans, his father driven from his
+domain, and now in his grave. Hereward dealt with the Normans as
+Ulysses had done with the suitors, and when the hall was his there were
+few of them left to tell the tale. Thence, not caring to be cooped up by
+the enemy within stone walls, he marched merrily away, and sought a
+safer refuge elsewhere.
+
+This descent upon Bourne we should like to accept as fact. It has in it
+the elements of righteous retribution. But we must admit that it is one
+of the shreds of romance of which we have spoken, one of those
+interesting stories which men believe to be true because they would like
+them to be true,--possibly with a solid foundation, certainly with much
+embellishment.
+
+Where we first surely find Hereward is in the heart of the fen country
+of eastern England. Here, at Ely in Cambridgeshire, a band of Englishmen
+had formed what they called a "Camp of Refuge," whence they issued at
+intervals in excursions against the Normans. England had no safer haven
+of retreat for her patriot sons. Ely was practically an island, being
+surrounded by watery marshes on all sides. Lurking behind the reeds and
+rushes of these fens, and hidden by their misty exhalations, that
+faithful band had long defied its foes.
+
+Hither came Hereward with his warlike followers, and quickly found
+himself at the head of the band of patriot refugees. History was
+repeating itself. Centuries before King Alfred had sought just such a
+shelter against the Danes, and had troubled his enemies as Hereward now
+began to trouble his.
+
+The exiles of the Camp of Refuge found new blood in their organization
+when Hereward became their leader. Their feeble forays were quickly
+replaced by bold and daring ones. Issuing like hornets from their nests,
+Hereward and his valiant followers sharply stung the Norman invaders,
+hesitating not to attack them wherever found, cutting off armed bands,
+wresting from them the spoils of which they had robbed the Saxons, and
+flying back to their reedy shelter before their foes could gather in
+force.
+
+Of the exploits of this band of active warriors but one is told in full,
+and that one is worth repeating. The Abbey of Peterborough, not far
+removed from Ely, had submitted to Norman rule and gained a Norman
+abbot, Turold by name. This angered the English at Ely, and they made a
+descent upon the settlement. No great harm was intended. Food and some
+minor spoil would have satisfied the raiders. But the frightened monks,
+instead of throwing themselves on the clemency of their
+fellow-countrymen, sent word in haste to Turold. This incensed the
+raiding band, composed in part of English, in part of Danes who had
+little regard for church privileges. Provoked to fury, they set fire to
+the monks' house and the town, and only one house escaped the flames.
+Then they assailed the monastery, the monks flying for their lives. The
+whole band of outlaws burst like wolves into the minster, which they
+rapidly cleared of its treasures. Here some climbed to the great rood,
+and carried off its golden ornaments. There others made their way to
+the steeple, where had been hidden the gold and silver pastoral staff.
+Shrines, roods, books, vestments, money, treasures of all sorts
+vanished, and when Abbot Turold appeared with a party of armed Normans,
+he found but the bare walls of the church and the ashes of the town,
+with only a sick monk to represent the lately prosperous monastery.
+Whether or not Hereward took part in this affair, history does not say.
+
+King William had hitherto disregarded this patriot refuge, and the bold
+deeds of the valiant Hereward. All England besides had submitted to his
+authority, and he was too busy in the work of making a feudal kingdom of
+free England to trouble himself about one small centre of insurrection.
+But an event occurred that caused him to look upon Hereward with more
+hostile eyes.
+
+Among those who had early sworn fealty to him, after the defeat of
+Harold at Hastings, were Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and
+Northumberland. They were confirmed in the possession of their estates
+and dignities, and remained faithful to William during the general
+insurrection of northern England. As time went on, however, their
+position became unbearable. The king failed to give them his confidence,
+the courtiers envied them their wealth and titles, and maligned them to
+the king. Their dignity of position was lost at the court; their safety
+even was endangered; they resolved, when too late, to emulate their
+braver countryman, and strike a blow for home and liberty. Edwin sought
+his domain in the north, bent on insurrection. Morcar made his way to
+the Isle of Ely, where he took service with his followers, and with
+other noble Englishmen, under the brave Hereward, glad to find one spot
+on which a man of true English blood could still set foot in freedom.
+
+His adhesion brought ruin instead of strength to Hereward. If William
+could afford to neglect a band of outlaws in the fens, he could not rest
+with these two great earls in arms against him. There were forces in the
+north to attend to Edwin; Morcar and Hereward must be looked after.
+
+[Illustration: ELY CATHEDRAL.]
+
+Gathering an army, William marched to the fen country and prepared to
+attack the last of the English in their almost inaccessible Camp of
+Refuge. He had already built himself a castle at Cambridge, and here he
+dwelt while directing his attack against the outlaws of the fens.
+
+The task before him was not a light one, in the face of an opponent so
+skilful and vigilant as Hereward the Wake. The Normans of that region
+had found him so ubiquitous and so constantly victorious that they
+ascribed his success to enchantment; and even William, who was not free
+from the superstitions of his day, seemed to imagine that he had an
+enchanter for a foe. Enchanter or not, however, he must be dealt with as
+a soldier, and there was but one way in which he could be reached. The
+heavily-armed Norman soldiers could not cross the marsh. From one side
+the Isle of Ely could be approached by vessels, but it was here so
+strongly defended that the king's ships failed to make progress against
+Hereward's works. Finding his attack by water a failure, William began
+the building of a causeway, two miles long, across the morasses from the
+dry land to the island.
+
+This was no trifling labor. There was a considerable depth of mud and
+water to fill, and stones and trunks of trees were brought for the
+purpose from all the surrounding country, the trees being covered with
+hides as a protection against fire. The work did not proceed in peace.
+Hereward and his men contested its progress at every point, attacked the
+workmen with darts and arrows from the light boats in which they
+navigated the waters of the fens, and, despite the hides, succeeded in
+setting fire to the woodwork of the causeway. More than once it had to
+be rebuilt; more than once it broke down under the weight of the Norman
+knights and men-at-arms, who crowded upon it in their efforts to reach
+the island, and many of these eager warriors, weighed down by the burden
+of their armor, met a dismal death in the mud and water of the marshes.
+
+Hereward fought with his accustomed courage, warlike skill, and
+incessant vigilance, and gave King William no easy task, despite the
+strength of his army and the abundance of his resources. But such a
+contest, against so skilled an enemy as William the Conqueror, and with
+such disparity of numbers, could have but one termination. Hereward
+struck so valiant a last blow for England that he won the admiration of
+his great opponent; but William was not the man to rest content with
+aught short of victory, and every successful act of defence on the part
+of the English was met by a new movement of assault. Despite all
+Hereward's efforts, the causeway slowly but surely moved forward across
+the fens.
+
+But Hereward's chief danger lay behind rather than before; in the island
+rather than on the mainland. His accessions of nobles and commons had
+placed a strong body of men under his command, with whom he might have
+been able to meet William's approaches by ship and causeway, had not
+treason laid intrenched in the island itself. With war in his front and
+treachery in his rear the gallant Wake had a double danger to contend
+with.
+
+This brings us to a picturesque scene, deftly painted by the old
+chroniclers. Ely had its abbey, a counterpart of that of Peterborough.
+Thurston, the abbot, was English-born, as were the monks under his
+pastoral charge; and long the cowled inmates of the abbey and the armed
+patriots of the Camp of Refuge dwelt in sweet accord. In the refectory
+of the abbey monks and warriors sat side by side at table, their
+converse at meals being doubtless divided between affairs spiritual and
+affairs temporal, while from walls and roof hung the arms of the
+warriors, harmoniously mingled with the emblems of the church. It was a
+picture of the marriage of church and state well worthy of reproduction
+on canvas.
+
+Yet King William knew how to deal with Abbot Thurston. Lands belonging
+to the monastery lay beyond the fens, and on these the king laid the
+rough hand of royal right, as an earnest of what would happen when the
+monastery itself should fall into his hands. A flutter of terror shook
+the hearts of the abbot and his family of monks. To them it seemed that
+the skies were about to fall, and that they would be wise to stand from
+under.
+
+While the monks of Ely were revolving this threat of disaster in their
+souls, the tide of assault and defence rolled on. William's causeway
+pushed its slow length forward through the fens. Hereward assailed it
+with fire and sword, and harried the king's lands outside by sudden
+raids. It is said that, like King Alfred before him, he more than once
+visited the camp of the Normans in disguise, and spied out their ways
+and means of warfare.
+
+There is a story connected with this warlike enterprise so significant
+of the times that it must be told. Whether or not William believed
+Hereward to be an enchanter, he took steps to defeat enchantment, if any
+existed. An old woman, who had the reputation of being a sorceress, was
+brought to the royal camp, and her services engaged in the king's cause.
+A wooden tower was built, and pushed along the causeway in front of the
+troops, the old woman within it actively dispensing her incantations and
+calling down the powers of witch-craft upon Hereward's head.
+Unfortunately for her, Hereward tried against her sorcery of the
+broomstick the enchantment of the brand, setting fire to the tower and
+burning it and the sorceress within it. We could scarcely go back to a
+later date than the eleventh century to find such an absurdity as this
+possible, but in those days of superstition even such a man as William
+the Conqueror was capable of it.
+
+How the contest would have ended had treason been absent it is not easy
+to say. As it was, Abbot Thurston and his monks brought the siege to a
+sudden and disastrous end. They showed the king a secret way of approach
+to the island, and William's warriors took the camp of Hereward by
+surprise. What followed scarcely needs the telling. A fierce and sharp
+struggle, men falling and dying in scores, William's heavy-armed
+warriors pressing heavily upon the ranks of the more lightly clad
+Englishmen, and final defeat and surrender, complete the story of the
+assault upon Ely.
+
+William had won, but Hereward still defied him. Striking his last blow
+in defence, the gallant leader, with a small band of chosen followers,
+cut a lane of blood through the Norman ranks and made his way to a small
+fleet of ships which he had kept armed and guarded for such an
+emergency. Sail was set, and down the stream they sped to the open sea,
+still setting at defiance the power of Norman William.
+
+We have two further lines of story to follow, one of history, the other
+of romance; one that of the reward of the monks for their treachery, the
+other that of the later story of Hereward the Wake. Abbot Thurston
+hastened to make his submission to the king. He and the inmates of the
+monastery sought the court, then at Warwick, and humbly begged the royal
+favor and protection. The story goes that William repaid their visit by
+a journey to Ely, where he entered the minster while the monks, all
+unconscious of the royal visit, were at their meal in the refectory. The
+king stood humbly at a distance from the shrine, as not worthy to
+approach it, but sent a mark of gold to be offered as his tribute upon
+the altar.
+
+Meanwhile, one Gilbert of Clare entered the refectory, and asked the
+feasting monks whether they could not dine at some other time, and if it
+were not wise to repress their hunger while King William was in the
+church. Like a flock of startled pigeons the monks rose, their appetites
+quite gone, and flocked tumultuously towards the church. They were too
+late. William was gone. But in his short visit he had left them a most
+unwelcome legacy by marking out the site of a castle within the
+precincts of the monastery, and giving orders for its immediate building
+by forced labor.
+
+Abbot Thurston finally purchased peace from the king at a high rate,
+paying him three hundred marks of silver for his one mark of gold. Nor
+was this the end. The silver marks proved to be light in weight. To
+appease the king's anger at this, another three hundred silver marks
+were offered, and King William graciously suffered them to say their
+prayers thenceforward in peace. Their treachery to Hereward had not
+proved profitable to the traitors.
+
+If now we return to the story of Hereward the Wake, we must once more
+leave the realm of history for that of legend, for what further is told
+of him, though doubtless based on fact, is strictly legendary in
+structure. Landing on the coast of Lincolnshire, the fugitives abandoned
+their light ships for the widespreading forests of that region, and long
+lived the life of outlaws in the dense woodland adjoining Hereward's
+ancestral home of Bourne. Like an earlier Robin Hood, the valiant Wake
+made the greenwood his home and the Normans his prey, covering nine
+shires in his bold excursions, which extended as far as the distant town
+of Warwick. The Abbey of Peterborough, with its Norman abbot, was an
+object of his special detestation, and more than once Turold and his
+monks were put to flight, while the abbey yielded up a share of its
+treasures to the bold assailants.
+
+How long Hereward and his men dwelt in the greenwood we are not able to
+say. They defied there the utmost efforts of their foes, and King
+William, whose admiration for his defiant enemy had not decreased,
+despairing of reducing him by force, made him overtures of peace.
+Hereward was ready for them. He saw clearly by this time that the Norman
+yoke was fastened too firmly on England's neck to be thrown off. He had
+fought as long as fighting was of use. Surrender only remained. A day
+came at length in which he rode from the forest with forty stout
+warriors at his back, made his way to the royal seat of Winchester, and
+knocked at the city gates, bidding the guards to carry the news to the
+conqueror that Hereward the Wake had come.
+
+William gladly received him. He knew the value of a valiant soul, and
+was thereafter a warm friend of Hereward, who, on his part, remained as
+loyal and true to the king as he had been strong and earnest against
+him. And so years passed on, Hereward in favor at court, and he and
+Torfrida, his Flemish wife, living happily in the castle which William's
+bounty had provided them.
+
+There is more than one story of Hereward's final fate. One account says
+that he ended his days in peace. The other, more in accordance with the
+spirit of the times and the hatred and jealousy felt by many of the
+Norman nobles against this English protege of the king, is so stirring
+in its details that it serves as a fitting termination to the Hereward
+romance.
+
+The story goes that he kept close watch and ward in his house against
+his many enemies. But on one occasion his chaplain, Ethelward, then on
+lookout duty, fell asleep on his post. A band of Normans was
+approaching, who broke into the house without warning being given, and
+attacked Hereward alone in his hall.
+
+He had barely time to throw on his armor when his enemies burst in upon
+him and assailed him with sword and spear. The fight that ensued was one
+that would have gladdened the soul of a Viking of old. Hereward laid
+about him with such savage energy that the floor was soon strewn with
+the dead bodies of his foes, and crimsoned with their blood. Finally the
+spear broke in the hero's hand. Next he grasped his sword and did with
+it mighty deeds of valor. This, too, was broken in the stress of fight.
+His shield was the only weapon left him, and this he used with such
+vigor and skill that before he had done fifteen Normans lay dead upon
+the floor.
+
+Four of his enemies now got behind him and smote him in the back. The
+great warrior was brought to his knees. A Breton knight, Ralph of Dol,
+rushed upon him, but found the wounded lion dangerous still. With a last
+desperate effort Hereward struck him a deadly blow with his buckler, and
+Breton and Saxon fell dead together to the floor. Another of the
+assailants, Asselin by name, now cut off the head of this last defender
+of Saxon England, and holding it in the air, swore by God and his might
+that he had never before seen a man of such valor and strength, and that
+if there had been three more like him in the land the French would have
+been driven out of England, or been slain on its soil.
+
+And so ends the stirring story of Hereward the Wake, that mighty man of
+old.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DEATH OF THE RED KING._
+
+
+William of Normandy, by the grace of God and his iron mace, had made
+himself king of England. An iron king he proved, savage, ruthless, the
+descendant of a few generations of pirate Norsemen, and himself a pirate
+in blood and temper. England strained uneasily under the harsh rein
+which he placed upon it, and he harried the country mercilessly, turning
+a great area of fertile land into a desert. That he might have a
+hunting-park near the royal palace, he laid waste all the land that lay
+between Winchester and the sea, planting there, in place of the homes
+destroyed and families driven out, what became known as the "New
+Forest." Nothing angered the English more than this ruthless act. A law
+had been passed that any one caught killing a deer in William's new
+hunting-grounds should have his eyes put out. Men prayed for
+retribution. It came. The New Forest proved fatal to the race of the
+Conqueror. In 1081 his oldest son Richard mortally wounded himself
+within its precincts. In May of the year 1100 his grandson Richard, son
+of Duke Robert, was killed there by a stray arrow. And, as if to
+emphasize more strongly this work of retribution, two months afterwards
+William Rufus, the Red King, the son of the Conqueror, was slain in the
+same manner within its leafy shades.
+
+William Rufus--William II. of England--was, like all his Norman
+ancestors, fond of the chase. When there were no men to be killed, these
+fierce old dukes and kings solaced themselves with the slaughter of
+beasts. In early summer of the year 1100 the Red King was at Winchester
+Castle, on the skirts of the New Forest. Thence he rode to Malwood-Keep,
+a favorite hunting-lodge in the forest. Boon companions were with him,
+numbers of them, one of them a French knight named Sir Walter Tyrrell,
+the king's favorite. Here the days were spent in the delights of the
+chase, the nights in feasting and carousing, and all went merrily.
+
+Around them spread far and wide the umbrageous lanes and alleys of the
+New Forest, trees of every variety, oaks in greatest number, crowding
+the soil. As yet there were no trees of mighty girth. The forest was
+young. Few of its trees had more than a quarter-century of growth,
+except where more ancient woodland had been included. The place was
+solitary, tenanted only by the deer which had replaced man upon its
+soil, and by smaller creatures of wing and fur. Barely a human foot trod
+there, save when the king's hunting retinue swept through its verdant
+aisles and woke its solitary depths with the cheerful notes of the
+hunting-horn. The savage laws of the Conqueror kept all others but the
+most daring poachers from its aisles.
+
+Such was the stage set for the tragedy which we have to relate. The
+story goes that rough jests passed at Malwood-Keep between Tyrrell and
+the king, ending in anger, as jests are apt to. William boasted that he
+would carry an army through France to the Alps. Tyrrell, heated with
+wine, answered that he might find France a net easier to enter than to
+escape from. The hearers remembered these bitter words afterwards.
+
+On the night before the fatal day it is said that cries of terror came
+from the king's bed-chamber. The attendants rushed thither, only to find
+that the monarch had been the victim of nightmare. When morning came he
+laughed the incident to scorn, saying that dreams were fit to scare only
+old women and children. His companions were not so easily satisfied.
+Those were days when all men's souls were open to omens good and bad.
+They earnestly advised him not to hunt that day. William jested at their
+fears, vowed that no dream should scare him from the chase, yet, uneasy
+at heart, perhaps, let the hours pass without calling for his horse.
+Midday came. Dinner was served. William ate and drank with unusual
+freedom. Wine warmed his blood and drove off his clinging doubts. He
+rose from the table and ordered his horse to be brought. The day was
+young enough still to strike a deer, he said.
+
+The king was in high spirits. He joked freely with his guests as he
+mounted his horse and prepared for the chase. As he sat in his saddle a
+woodman presented him six new arrows. He examined them, declared that
+they were well made and proper shafts, and put four of them in his
+quiver, handing the other two to Walter Tyrrell.
+
+"These are for you," he said. "Good marksmen should have good arms."
+
+Tyrrell took them, thanked William for the gift, and the hunting-party
+was about to start, when there appeared a monk who asked to speak with
+the king.
+
+"I come from the convent of St. Peter, at Gloucester," he said. "The
+abbot bids me give a message to your majesty."
+
+"Abbot Serlon; a good Norman he," said the king. "What would he say?"
+
+"Your majesty," said the monk, with great humility, "he bids me state
+that one of his monks has dreamed a dream of evil omen. He deems the
+king should know it."
+
+"A dream!" declared the king. "Has he sent you hither to carry shadows?
+Well, tell me your dream. Time presses."
+
+"The dream was this. The monk, in his sleep, saw Jesus Christ sitting on
+a throne, and at his feet kneeled a woman, who supplicated him in these
+words: 'Saviour of the human race, look down with pity on thy people
+groaning under the yoke of William.'"
+
+The king greeted this message with a loud laugh.
+
+"Do they take me for an Englishman, with their dreams?" he asked. "Do
+they fancy that I am fool enough to give up my plans because a monk
+dreams or an old woman sneezes? Go, tell your abbot I have heard his
+story. Come, Walter de Poix, to horse!"
+
+The train swept away, leaving the monkish messenger alone, the king's
+disdainful laugh still in his ears. With William were his brother Henry,
+long at odds with him, now reconciled, William de Breteuil, and several
+other nobles. Quickly they vanished among the thickly clustering trees,
+and soon broke up into small groups, each of which took its own route
+through the forest. Walter Tyrrell alone remained with the king, their
+dogs hunting together.
+
+That was the last that was seen of William, the Red King, alive. When
+the hunters returned he was not with them. Tyrrell, too, was missing.
+What had become of them? Search was made, but neither could be found,
+and doubt and trouble of soul pervaded Malwood-Keep.
+
+The shades of night were fast gathering when a poor charcoal-burner,
+passing with his cart through the forest, came upon a dead body
+stretched bleeding upon the grass. An arrow had pierced its breast.
+Lifting it into his cart, wrapped in old linen, he jogged slowly onward,
+the blood still dripping and staining the ground as he passed. Not till
+he reached the hunting-lodge did he discover that it was the corpse of a
+king he had found in the forest depths. The dead body was that of
+William II. of England.
+
+Tyrrell had disappeared. In vain they sought him. He was nowhere to be
+found. Suspicion rested on him. He had murdered the king, men said, and
+fled the land.
+
+Mystery has ever since shrouded the death of the Red King. Tyrrell lived
+to tell his tale. It was probably a true one, though many doubted it.
+The Frenchman had quarrelled with the king, men said, and had murdered
+him from revenge. Just why he should have murdered so powerful a friend
+and patron, for a taunt passed in jest, was far from evident.
+
+Tyrrell's story is as follows: He and the king had taken their stations,
+opposite one another, waiting the work of the woodsmen who were beating
+up the game. Each had an arrow in his cross-bow, his finger on the
+trigger, eagerly listening for the distant sounds which would indicate
+the coming of game. As they stood thus intent, a large stag suddenly
+broke from the bushes and sprang into the space between them.
+
+William drew, but the bow-string broke in his hand. The stag, startled
+at the sound, stood confused, looking suspiciously around. The king
+signed to Tyrrell to shoot, but the latter, for some reason, did not
+obey. William grew impatient, and called out,--
+
+"Shoot, Walter, shoot, in the devil's name!"
+
+Shoot he did. An instant afterwards the king fell without word or moan.
+Tyrrell's arrow had struck a tree, and, glancing, pierced the king's
+breast; or it may be that an arrow from a more distant bow had struck
+him. When Tyrrell reached his side he was dead.
+
+The French knight knew what would follow if he fell into the hands of
+the king's companions. He could not hope to make people credit his tale.
+Mounting his horse, he rode with all speed through the forest, not
+drawing rein till the coast was reached. He had far outridden the news
+of the tragedy. Taking ship here, he crossed over in haste to Normandy,
+and thence made his way to France, not drawing a breath free from care
+till he felt the soil of his native land beneath his feet. Here he lived
+to a good age and died in peace, his life diversified by a crusading
+visit to the Holy Land.
+
+The end of the Red King resembled that of his father. The Conqueror had
+been deserted before he had fairly ceased breathing, his body left half
+clad on the bare boards of his chamber, while some of his attendants
+rifled the palace, others hastened to offer their services to his son.
+The same scenes followed the Red King's death. His body was left in the
+charcoal-burner's cart, clotted with blood, to be conveyed to
+Winchester, while his brother Henry rode post-haste thither to seize the
+royal treasure, and the train of courtiers rode as rapid a course, to
+look after their several interests.
+
+Reaching the royal palace, Henry imperiously demanded the keys of the
+king's treasure-chamber. Before he received them William de Breteuil
+entered, breathless with haste, and bade the keepers not to deliver
+them.
+
+"Thou and I," he said to Henry, "ought loyally to keep the faith which
+we promised to thy brother, Duke Robert; he has received our oath of
+homage, and, absent or present, he has the right."
+
+But what was faith, what an oath, when a crown was the prize? A quarrel
+followed; Henry drew his sword; the people around supported him; soon he
+had the treasure and the royal regalia; Robert might have the right, he
+had the kingdom.
+
+There is tradition connected with the Red King's death. A stirrup hangs
+in Lyndhurst Hall, said to be that which he used on that fatal day. The
+charcoal-burner was named Purkess. There are Purkesses still in the
+village of Minstead, near where William Rufus died. And the story runs
+that the earthly possessions of the Purkess family have ever since been
+a single horse and cart. A stone marks the spot where the king fell, on
+it is the inscription,--
+
+"Here stood the oak-tree on which the arrow, shot by Walter Tyrrell at a
+stag, glanced and struck King William II., surnamed Rufus, on the
+breast; of which stroke he instantly died on the second of August, 1100.
+
+"That the spot where an event so memorable had happened might not
+hereafter be unknown, this stone was set up by John, Lord Delaware, who
+had seen the tree growing in this place, anno 1745."
+
+We may end by saying that England was revenged; the retribution for
+which her children had prayed had overtaken the race of the pirate
+king. That broad domain of Saxon England, which William the Conqueror
+had wrested from its owners to make himself a hunting-forest, was
+reddened with the blood of two of his sons and a grandson. The hand of
+Heaven had fallen on that cruel race. The New Forest was consecrated in
+the blood of one of the Norman kings.
+
+
+
+
+_HOW THE WHITE SHIP SAILED._
+
+
+Henry I., king of England, had made peace with France. Then to Normandy
+went the king with a great retinue, that he might have Prince William,
+his only and dearly-loved son, acknowledged as his successor by the
+Norman nobles and married to the daughter of the Count of Anjou. Both
+these things were done; regal was the display, great the rejoicing, and
+on the 25th of November, 1120, the king and his followers, with the
+prince and his fair young bride, prepared to embark at Barfleur on their
+triumphant journey home.
+
+So far all had gone well. Now disaster lowered. Fate had prepared a
+tragedy that was to load the king's soul with life-long grief and yield
+to English history one of its most pathetic tales.
+
+Of the vessels of the fleet, one of the best was a fifty-oared galley
+called "The White Ship," commanded by a certain Thomas Fitzstephen,
+whose father had sailed the ship on which William the Conqueror first
+came to England's shores. This service Fitzstephen represented to the
+king, and begged that he might be equally honored.
+
+"My liege," he said, "my father steered the ship with the golden boy
+upon the prow in which your father sailed to conquer England, I beseech
+you to grant me the same honor, that of carrying you in the White Ship
+to England."
+
+"I am sorry, friend," said the king, "that my vessel is already chosen,
+and that I cannot sail with the son of the man who served my father. But
+the prince and all his company shall go along with you in the White
+Ship, which you may esteem an honor equal to that of carrying me."
+
+By evening of that day the king with his retinue had set sail, with a
+fair wind, for England's shores, leaving the prince with his attendants
+to follow in Fitzstephen's ship. With the prince were his natural
+brother Richard, his sister the countess of Perch, Richard, earl of
+Chester, with his wife, the king's niece, together with one hundred and
+forty of the flower of the young nobility of England and Normandy,
+accompanying whom were many ladies of high descent. The whole number of
+persons taking passage on the White Ship, including the crew, were three
+hundred.
+
+Prince William was but a boy, and one who did little honor to his
+father's love. He was a dissolute youth of eighteen, who had so little
+feeling for the English as to have declared that when he came to the
+throne he would yoke them to the plough like oxen. Destiny had decided
+that the boastful boy should not have the opportunity to carry out this
+threat.
+
+"Give three casks of wine, Fitzstephen," he said, "to your crew. My
+father, the king, has sailed. What time have we to make merry here and
+still reach England with the rest?"
+
+"If we sail at midnight," answered Fitzstephen, "my fifty rowers and the
+White Ship shall overtake the swiftest vessel in the king's fleet before
+daybreak."
+
+"Then let us be merry," said the prince; "the night is fine, the time
+young, let us enjoy it while we may."
+
+Merry enough they were; the prince and his companions danced in the
+moonlight on the ship's deck, the sailors emptied their wine-casks, and
+when at last they left the harbor there was not a sober sailor on board,
+and the captain himself was the worse for wine.
+
+As the ship swept from the port, the young nobles, heated with wine,
+hung over the sides and drove away with taunts the priests who had come
+to give the usual benediction. Wild youths were they,--the most of
+them,--gay, ardent, in the hey-day of life, caring mainly for pleasure,
+and with little heed of aught beyond the moment's whim. There seemed
+naught to give them care, in sooth. The sea lay smooth beneath them, the
+air was mild, the moon poured its soft lustre upon the deck, and
+propitious fortune appeared to smile upon the ship as it rushed onward,
+under the impulse of its long banks of oars, in haste to overtake the
+distant fleet of the king.
+
+All went merrily. Fitzstephen grasped the helm, his soul proud with the
+thought that, as his father had borne the Conqueror to England's
+strand, he was bearing the pride of younger England, the heir to the
+throne. On the deck before him his passengers were gathered in merry
+groups, singing, laughing, chatting, the ladies in their rich-lined
+mantles, the gentlemen in their bravest attire; while to the sound of
+song and merry talk the well-timed fall of the oars and swash of driven
+waters made refrain.
+
+They had reached the harbor's mouth. The open ocean lay before them. In
+a few minutes more they would be sweeping over the Atlantic's broad
+expanse. Suddenly there came a frightful crash; a shock that threw
+numbers of the passengers headlong to the deck, and tore the oars from
+the rowers' hands; a cry of terror that went up from three hundred
+throats. It is said that some of the people in the far-off ships heard
+that cry, faint, far, despairing, borne to them over miles of sea, and
+asked themselves in wonder what it could portend.
+
+It portended too much wine and too little heed. The vessel, carelessly
+steered, had struck upon a rock, the _Catee-raze_, at the harbor's
+mouth, with such, violence that a gaping wound was torn in her prow, and
+the waters instantly began to rush in.
+
+The White Ship was injured, was filling, would quickly sink. Wild
+consternation prevailed. There was but one boat, and that small.
+Fitzstephen, sobered by the concussion, hastily lowered it, crowded into
+it the prince and a few nobles, and bade them hastily to push off and
+row to the land.
+
+"It is not far," he said, "and the sea is smooth. The rest of us must
+die."
+
+They obeyed. The boat was pushed off, the oars dropped into the water,
+it began to move from the ship. At that moment, amid the cries of horror
+and despair on the sinking vessel, came one that met the prince's ear in
+piteous appeal. It was the voice of his sister, Marie, the countess of
+Perch, crying to him for help.
+
+In that moment of frightful peril Prince William's heart beat true.
+
+"Row back at any risk!" he cried. "My sister must be saved. I cannot
+bear to leave her."
+
+They rowed back. But the hope that from that panic-stricken multitude
+one woman could be selected was wild. No sooner had the boat reached the
+ship's side than dozens madly sprung into it, in such numbers that it
+was overturned. At almost the same moment the White Ship went down,
+dragging all within reach into her eddying vortex. Death spread its
+sombre wings over the spot where, a few brief minutes before, life and
+joy had ruled.
+
+When the tossing eddies subsided, the pale moonlight looked down on but
+two souls of all that gay and youthful company. These clung to a spar
+which had broken loose from the mast and floated on the waves, or to the
+top of the mast itself, which stood above the surface.
+
+"Only two of us, out of all that gallant company!" said one of these in
+despairing tones. "Who are you, friend and comrade?"
+
+"I am a nobleman, Godfrey, the son of Gilbert de L'Aigle. And you?" he
+asked.
+
+"I am Berold, a poor butcher of Rouen," was the answer.
+
+"God be merciful to us both!" they then cried together.
+
+Immediately afterwards they saw a third, who had risen and was swimming
+towards them. As he drew near he pushed the wet, clinging hair from his
+face, and they saw the white, agonized countenance of Fitzstephen. He
+gazed at them with eager eyes; then cast a long, despairing look on the
+waters around him.
+
+"Where is the prince?" he asked, in tones that seemed to shudder with
+terror.
+
+"Gone! gone!" they cried. "Not one of all on board, except we three, has
+risen above the water."
+
+"Woe! woe, to me!" moaned Fitzstephen. He ceased swimming, turned to
+them a face ghastly with horror, and then sank beneath the waves, to
+join the goodly company whom his negligence had sent to a watery death.
+He dared not live to meet the father of his charge.
+
+The two continued to cling to their support. But the water had in it the
+November chill, the night was long, the tenderly-reared nobleman lacked
+the endurance of his humbler companion. Before day-dawn he said, in
+faint accents,--
+
+"I am exhausted and chilled with the cold. I can hold on no longer.
+Farewell, good friend! God preserve you!"
+
+He loosed his hold and sank. The butcher of Rouen remained alone.
+
+When day came some fisherman saw this clinging form from the shore,
+rowed out, and brought him in, the sole one living of all that goodly
+company. A few hours before the pride and hope of Normandy and England
+had crowded that noble ship. Now only a base-born butcher survived to
+tell the story of disaster, and the stately White Ship, with her noble
+freightage, lay buried beneath the waves.
+
+For three days no one dared tell King Henry the dreadful story. Such was
+his love for his son that they feared his grief might turn to madness,
+and their lives pay the forfeit of their venture. At length a little lad
+was sent in to him with the tale. Weeping bitterly, and kneeling at the
+king's feet, the child told in broken accents the story which had been
+taught him, how the White Ship had gone to the bottom at the mouth of
+Barfleur harbor, and all on board been lost save one poor commoner.
+Prince William, his son, was dead.
+
+The king heard him to the end, with slowly whitening face and
+horror-stricken eyes. At the conclusion of the child's narrative the
+monarch fell prostrate to the floor, and lay there long like one
+stricken with death. The chronicle of this sad tragedy ends in one short
+phrase, which is weighty with its burden of grief,--From that day on
+King Henry never smiled again!
+
+
+
+
+_A CONTEST FOR A CROWN._
+
+
+Terrible was the misery of England. Torn between contending factions,
+like a deer between snarling wolves, the people suffered martyrdom,
+while thieves and assassins, miscalled soldiers, and brigands, miscalled
+nobles, ravaged the land and tortured its inhabitants. Outrage was law,
+and death the only refuge from barbarity, and at no time in the history
+of England did its people endure such misery as in those years of the
+loosening of the reins of justice and mercy which began with 1139
+A.D.
+
+It was the autumn of the year named. At every port of England bands of
+soldiers were landing, with arms and baggage; along every road leading
+from the coast bands of soldiers were marching; in every town bands of
+soldiers were mustering; here joining in friendly union, there coming
+into hostile contact, for they represented rival parties, and were
+speeding to the gathering points of their respective leaders.
+
+All England was in a ferment, men everywhere arming and marching. All
+Normandy was in turmoil, soldiers of fortune crowding to every port,
+eager to take part in the harrying of the island realm. The Norman
+nobles of England were everywhere fortifying their castles, which had
+been sternly prohibited by the recent king. Law and authority were for
+the time being abrogated, and every man was preparing to fight for his
+own hand and his own land. A single day, almost, had divided the Normans
+of England into two factions, not yet come to blows, but facing each
+other like wild beasts at bay. And England and the English were the prey
+craved by both these herds of human wolves.
+
+There were two claimants to the throne: Matilda,--or Maud, as she is
+usually named,--daughter of Henry I., and Stephen of Blois, grandson of
+William the Conqueror. Henry had named his daughter as his successor;
+Stephen seized the throne; the issue was sharply drawn between them.
+Each of them had a legal claim to the throne, Stephen's the better, he
+being the nearest male heir. No woman had as yet ruled in England.
+Maud's mother had been of ancient English descent, which gave her
+popularity among the Saxon inhabitants of the land. Stephen was
+personally popular, a good-humored, generous prodigal, his very faults
+tending to make him a favorite. Yet he was born to be a swordsman, not a
+king, and his only idea of royalty was to let the land rule--or misrule
+it if preferred--itself, while he enjoyed the pleasures and declined the
+toils of kingship.
+
+A few words will suffice to bring the history of those turbulent times
+up to the date of the opening of our story. The death of Henry I. was
+followed by anarchy in England. His daughter Maud, wife of Geoffry the
+Handsome, Count of Anjou, was absent from the land. Stephen, Count of
+Blois, and son of Adela, the Conqueror's daughter, was the first to
+reach it. Speeding across the Channel, he hurried through England, then
+in the turmoil of lawlessness, no noble joining him, no town opening to
+him its gates, until London was reached. There the coldness of his route
+was replaced by the utmost warmth of welcome. The city poured from its
+gates to meet him, hastened to elect him king, swore to defend him with
+blood and treasure, and only demanded in return that the new king should
+do his utmost to pacify the realm.
+
+Here Stephen failed. He was utterly unfit to govern. While he thought
+only of profligate enjoyment, the barons fortified their castles and
+became petty kings in their several domains. The great prelates followed
+their example. Then, for the first time, did Stephen awake from his
+dream of pleasure and attempt to play the king. He seized Roger, Bishop
+of Salisbury, and threw him into prison to force him to surrender his
+fortresses. This precipitated the trouble that brooded over England. The
+king lost the support of the clergy by his violence to their leader,
+alienated many of the nobles by his hasty action, and gave Maud the
+opportunity for which she had waited. She lost no time in offering
+herself to the English as a claimant to the crown.
+
+Her landing was made on the 22d of September, 1139, on the coast of
+Sussex. Here she threw herself into Arundel Castle, and quickly
+afterwards made her way to Bristol Castle, then held by her
+illegitimate brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester.
+
+And now the state of affairs we had described began. The nobles of the
+north and west of England renounced their allegiance to Stephen and
+swore allegiance to Maud. London and the east remained faithful to the
+king. A stream of men-at-arms, hired by both factions, poured from the
+neighboring coast of Normandy into the disputed realm. Each side had
+promised them, for their pay, the lands and wealth of the other. Like
+vultures to the feast they came, with little heed to the rights of the
+rival claimants and the wrongs of the people, with much heed to their
+own private needs and ambitions.
+
+In England such anarchy ruled as that land of much intestine war has
+rarely witnessed. The Norman nobles prepared in haste for the civil war,
+and in doing so made the English their prey. To raise the necessary
+funds, many of them sold their domains, townships, and villages, with
+the inhabitants thereof and all their goods. Others of them made forays
+on the lands of those of the opposite faction, and seized cattle,
+horses, sheep, and men alike carrying off the English in chains, that
+they might force them by torture to yield what wealth they possessed.
+
+Terror ruled supreme. The realm was in a panic of dread. So great was
+the alarm, that the inhabitants of city and town alike took to flight if
+they saw a distant group of horsemen approaching. Three or four armed
+men were enough to empty a town of its inhabitants. It was in Bristol,
+where Maud and her foreign troops lay, that the most extreme terror
+prevailed. All day long men were being brought into the city bound and
+gagged. The citizens had no immunity. Soldiers mingled among them in
+disguise, their arms concealed, their talk in the English tongue,
+strolling through markets and streets, listening to the popular chat,
+and then suddenly seizing any one who seemed to be in easy
+circumstances. These they would drag to their head-quarters and hold to
+ransom.
+
+The air was filled with tales of the frightful barbarities practised by
+the Norman nobles on the unhappy English captives in the depths of their
+gloomy castles. "They carried off," says the Saxon chronicle, "all who
+they thought possessed any property, men and women, by day and by night;
+and whilst they kept them imprisoned, they inflicted on them tortures,
+such as no martyr ever underwent, in order to obtain gold and silver
+from them." We must be excused from quoting the details of these
+tortures.
+
+"They killed many thousands of people by hunger," continues the
+chronicle. "They imposed tribute after tribute upon the towns and
+villages, calling this in their tongue _tenserie_. When the citizens had
+nothing more to give them, they plundered and burnt the town. You might
+have travelled a whole day without finding a single soul in the towns,
+or a cultivated field. The poor died of hunger, and those who had been
+formerly well-off begged their bread from door to door. Whoever had it
+in his power to leave England did so. Never was a country delivered up
+to so many miseries and misfortunes; even in the invasions of the pagans
+it suffered less than now. Neither the cemeteries nor the churches were
+spared; they seized all they could, and then set fire to the church. To
+till the ground was useless. It was openly reported that Christ and his
+saints were sleeping."
+
+One cannot but think that this frightful picture is somewhat overdrawn;
+yet nothing could indicate better the condition of a Middle-Age country
+under a weak king, and torn by the adherents of rival claimants to the
+throne.
+
+Let us leave this tale of torture and horror and turn to that of war. In
+the conflict between Stephen and Maud the king took the first step. He
+led his army against Bristol. It proved too strong for him, and his
+soldiers, in revenge, burnt the environs, after robbing them of all they
+could yield. Then, leaving Bristol, he turned against the castles on the
+Welsh borders, nearly all of whose lords had declared for Maud.
+
+From the laborious task of reducing these castles he was suddenly
+recalled by an insurrection in the territory so far faithful to him. The
+fens of Ely, in whose recesses Hereward the Wake had defied the
+Conqueror, now became the stronghold of a Norman revolt. A baron and a
+bishop, Baldwin de Revier and Lenior, Bishop of Ely, built stone
+intrenchments on the island, and defied the king from behind the watery
+shelter of the fens.
+
+Hither flocked the partisans of Maud; hither came Stephen, filled with
+warlike fury. He lacked the qualities that make a king, but he had those
+that go to make a soldier. The methods of the Conqueror in attacking
+Hereward were followed by Stephen in assailing his foes. Bridges of
+boats were built across the fens; over these the king's cavalry made
+their way to the firm soil of the island; a fierce conflict ensued,
+ending in the rout of the soldiers of Baldwin and Lenior. The bishop
+fled to Gloucester, whither Maud had now proceeded.
+
+Thus far the king had kept the field, while his rival lay intrenched in
+her strongholds. But her party was earnestly at work. The barons of the
+Welsh marches, whose castles had been damaged by the king, repaired
+them. Even the towers of the great churches were filled with war-engines
+and converted into fortresses, ditches being dug in the church-yards
+around, with little regard to the fact that the bones of the dead were
+unearthed and scattered over the soil. The Norman bishops, completely
+armed, and mounted on war-horses, took part in these operations, and
+were no more scrupulous than the barons in torturing the English to
+force from them their hoarded gold and silver.
+
+Those were certainly not the days of merry England. Nor were they days
+of pious England, when the heads of the church, armed with sword and
+spear, led armies against their foes. In this they were justified by
+the misrule of Stephen, who had shown his utter unfitness to rule. In
+truth, a bishop ended that first phase of the war. The Bishop of Chester
+rallied the troops which had fled from Ely. These grew by rapid
+accretions until a new army was in the field. Stephen attacked it, but
+the enemy held their own, and his troops were routed. They fled on all
+sides, leaving the king alone in the midst of his foes. He lacked not
+courage. Single-handed he defended himself against a throng of
+assailants. But his men were in flight; he stood alone; it was death or
+surrender; he yielded himself prisoner. He was taken to Gloucester, and
+thence to Bristol Castle, in whose dungeons he was imprisoned. For the
+time being the war was at an end. Maud was queen.
+
+The daughter of Henry might have reigned during the remainder of her
+life but for pride and folly, two faults fitted to wreck the best-built
+cause. All was on her side except herself. Her own arrogance drove her
+from the throne before it had grown warm from her sitting.
+
+For the time, indeed, Stephen's cause seemed lost. He was in a dungeon
+strongly guarded by his adversaries. His partisans went over in crowds
+to the opposite side,--his own brother, Henry, Bishop of Winchester,
+with them. The English peasants, embittered by oppression, rose against
+the beaten army, and took partial revenge for their wrongs by plundering
+and maltreating the defeated and dispersed soldiers in their flight.
+
+Maud made her way to Winchester, her progress being one of royal
+ostentation. Her entry to the town was like a Roman triumph. She was
+received with all honor, was voted queen in a great convocation of
+nobles, prelates, and knights, and seized the royal regalia and the
+treasures of her vanquished foe. All would have gone well with her had
+not good fortune turned her brain. Pride and a haughty spirit led to her
+hasty downfall.
+
+She grew arrogant and disdainful. Those who had made her queen found
+their requests met with refusal, their advice rejected with scorn. Those
+of the opposite party who had joined her were harshly treated. Her most
+devoted friends and adherents soon grew weak in their loyalty, and many
+withdrew from the court, with the feeling that they had been fools to
+support this haughty woman against the generous-hearted soldier who lay
+in Bristol dungeon.
+
+From Winchester Maud proceeded to London, after having done her cause as
+much harm as she well could in the brief time at her disposal. She was
+looked for in the capital city with sentiments of hope and pride. Her
+mother had been English, and the English citizens felt a glow of
+enthusiasm to feel that one whose blood was even half Saxon was coming
+to rule over them. Their pride quickly changed into anger and desire for
+revenge.
+
+Maud signalized her entrance into London by laying on the citizens an
+enormous poll-tax. Stephen had done his utmost to beggar them; famine
+threatened them; in extreme distress they prayed the queen to give them
+time to recover from their present miseries before laying fresh taxes on
+them.
+
+"The king has left us nothing," said their deputies, humbly.
+
+"I understand," answered Maud, with haughty disdain, "that you have
+given all to my adversary and have conspired with him against me; now
+you expect me to spare you. You shall pay the tax."
+
+"Then," pleaded the deputies, "give us something in return. Restore to
+us the good laws of thy great uncle, Edward, in place of those of thy
+father, King Henry, which are bad and too harsh for us."
+
+Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. The queen listened to
+the deputies in a rage, treated them as if they had been guilty of
+untold insolence in daring to make this request, and with harsh menaces
+drove them from her presence, bidding them to see that the tax was paid,
+or London should suffer bitterly for its contumacy.
+
+The deputies withdrew with a show of respect, but with fury in their
+hearts, and repaired to their council-chamber, whence the news of what
+had taken place sped rapidly through the city. In her palace Queen Maud
+waited in proud security, nothing doubting that she had humbled those
+insolent citizens, and that the deputies would soon return ready to
+creep on their knees to the foot of her throne and offer a golden
+recompense for their daring demand for milder laws.
+
+Suddenly the bells of London began to ring. In the streets adjoining
+the palace loud voices were heard. People seemed gathering rapidly. What
+did it mean? Were these her humbled citizens of London? Surely there
+were threats mingled with those harsh cries! Threats against the queen
+who had just entered London in triumph and been received with such
+hearty enthusiasm! Were the Londoners mad?
+
+She would have thought so had she been in the streets. From every house
+issued a man, armed with the first weapon he could find, his face
+inflamed with anger. They flocked out as tumultuously as bees from a
+hive, says an old writer. The streets of London, lately quiet, were now
+filled with a noisy throng, all hastening towards the palace, all
+uttering threats against this haughty foreign woman, who must have lost
+every drop of her English blood, they declared.
+
+The palace was filled with alarm. It looked as if the queen's Norman
+blood would be lost as well as that from her English sires. She had
+men-at-arms around her, but not enough to be of avail against the
+clustering citizens in those narrow and crooked streets. Flight, and
+that a speedy one, was all that remained. White with terror, the queen
+took to horse, and, surrounded by her knights and soldiers, fled from
+London with a haste that illy accorded with the stately and deliberate
+pride with which she had recently entered that turbulent capital.
+
+She was none too soon. The frightened cortege had not left the palace
+far behind it before the maddened citizens burst open its doors,
+searched every nook and cranny of the building for the queen and her
+body-guard, and, finding they had fled, wreaked their wrath on all that
+was left, plundering the apartments of all they contained.
+
+Meanwhile, the queen, wild with fright, was galloping at full speed from
+the hostile beehive she had disturbed. Her barons and knights, in a
+panic of fear and deeming themselves hotly pursued, dropped off from the
+party one by one, hoping for safety by leaving the highway for the
+by-ways, and caring little for the queen so that they saved their
+frightened selves. The queen rode on in mad terror until Oxford was
+reached, only her brother, the Earl of Gloucester, and a few others
+keeping her company to that town.
+
+They fled from a shadow. The citizens had not pursued them. These
+turbulent tradesmen were content with ridding London of this power-mad
+woman, and they went back satisfied to their homes, leaving the city
+open to occupation by the partisans of Stephen, who entered it under
+pretense of an alliance with the citizens. The Bishop of Winchester, who
+seems to have been something of a weathercock in his political faith,
+turned again to his brothers side, set Stephen's banner afloat on
+Windsor Castle and converted his bishop's residence into a fortress.
+Robert of Gloucester came with Maud's troops to besiege it. The garrison
+set fire to the surrounding houses to annoy the besiegers. While the
+town was burning, an army from London appeared, fiercely attacked the
+assailants, and forced them to take refuge in the churches. These were
+set on fire to drive out the fugitives. The affair ended in Robert of
+Gloucester being taken prisoner and his followers dispersed.
+
+Then once more the Saxon peasants swarmed from their huts like hornets
+from their hives and assailed the fugitives as they had before assailed
+those from Stephen's army. The proud Normans, whose language betrayed
+them in spite of their attempts at disguise, were robbed, stripped of
+their clothing, and driven along the roads by whips in the hands of
+Saxon serfs, who thus repaid themselves for many an act of wrong. The
+Bishop of Canterbury and other high prelates and numbers of great lords
+were thus maltreated, and for once were thoroughly humbled by those
+despised islanders whom their fathers had enslaved.
+
+Thus ended the second act in this drama of conquest and re-conquest.
+Maud, deprived of her brother, was helpless. She exchanged him for King
+Stephen, and the war broke out afresh. Stephen laid siege to Oxford, and
+pressed it so closely that once more Maud took to flight. It was
+midwinter. The ground was covered with snow. Dressing herself from head
+to foot in white, and accompanied by three knights similarly attired,
+she slipped out of a postern in the hope of being unseen against the
+whiteness of the snow-clad surface.
+
+Stephen's camp was asleep, its sentinels alone being astir. The scared
+fugitives glided on foot through the snow, passing close to the enemy's
+posts, the voices of the sentinels sounding in their ears. On foot they
+crossed the frozen Thames, gained horses on the opposite side, and
+galloped away in hasty flight.
+
+There is little more to say. Maud's cause was at an end. Not long
+afterwards her brother died, and she withdrew to Normandy, glad,
+doubtless, to be well out of that pestiferous island, but, mayhap,
+mourning that her arrogant folly had robbed her of a throne.
+
+A few years afterwards her son Henry took up her cause, and landed in
+England with an army. But the threatened hostilities ended in a truce,
+which provided that Henry should reign after Stephen's death. Stephen
+died a year afterwards, England gained an able monarch, and prosperity
+returned to the realm after fifteen years of the most frightful misery
+and misrule.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION._
+
+
+In the month of October, in the year of our Lord 1192, a pirate vessel
+touched land on the coast of Sclavonia, at the port of Yara. Those were
+days in which it was not easy to distinguish between pirates and true
+mariners, either in aspect or avocation, neither being afflicted with
+much inconvenient honesty, both being hungry for spoil. From this vessel
+were landed a number of passengers,--knights, chaplains, and
+servants,--Crusaders on their way home from the Holy Land, and in need,
+for their overland journey, of a safe-conduct from the lord of the
+province.
+
+He who seemed chief among the travellers sent a messenger to the ruler
+of Yara, to ask for this safe-conduct, and bearing a valuable ruby ring
+which he was commissioned to offer him as a present. The lord of Yara
+received this ring, which he gazed upon with eyes of doubt and
+curiosity. It was too valuable an offer for a small service, and he had
+surely heard of this particular ruby before.
+
+"Who are they that have sent thee to ask a free passage of me?" he asked
+the messenger.
+
+"Some pilgrims returning from Jerusalem," was the answer.
+
+"And by what names call you these pilgrims?"
+
+"One is called Baldwin de Bethune," rejoined the messenger. "The other,
+he who sends you this ring, is named Hugh the merchant."
+
+The ruler fixed his eyes again upon the ring, which he examined with
+close attention. He at length replied,--
+
+"You had better have told me the truth, for your ring reveals it. This
+man's name is not Hugh, but Richard, king of England. His gift is a
+royal one, and, since he wished to honor me with it without knowing me,
+I return it to him, and leave him free to depart. Should I do as duty
+bids, I would hold him prisoner."
+
+It was indeed Richard Coeur de Lion, on his way home from the Crusade
+which he had headed, and in which his arbitrary and imperious temper had
+made enemies of the rulers of France and Austria, who accompanied him.
+He had concluded with Saladin a truce of three years, three months,
+three days, and three hours, and then, disregarding his oath that he
+would not leave the Holy Land while he had a horse left to feed on, he
+set sail in haste for home. He had need to, for his brother John was
+intriguing to seize the throne.
+
+On his way home, finding that he must land and proceed part of the way
+overland, he dismissed all his suite but a few attendants, fearing to be
+recognized and detained. The single vessel which he now possessed was
+attacked by pirates, but the fight, singularly enough, ended in a truce,
+and was followed by so close a friendship between Richard and the
+pirate captain that he left his vessel for theirs, and was borne by them
+to Yara.
+
+The ruler of Yara was a relative of the marquis of Montferrat, whose
+death in Palestine had without warrant been imputed to Richard's
+influence. The king had, therefore, unwittingly revealed himself to an
+enemy and was in imminent danger of arrest. On receiving the message
+sent him he set out at once, not caring to linger in so doubtful a
+neighborhood. No attempt was made to stop him. The lord of Yara was in
+so far faithful to his word. But he had not promised to keep the king's
+secret, and at once sent a message to his brother, lord of a neighboring
+town, that King Richard of England was in the country, and would
+probably pass through his town.
+
+There was a chance that he might pass undiscovered; pilgrims from
+Palestine were numerous; Richard reached the town, where no one knew
+him, and obtained lodging with one of its householders as Hugh, a
+merchant from the East.
+
+As it happened, the lord of the town had in his service a Norman named
+Roger, formerly from Argenton. To him he sent, and asked him if he knew
+the king of England.
+
+"No; I never saw him," said Roger.
+
+"But you know his language--the Norman French, there may be some token
+by which you can recognize him; go seek him in the inns where pilgrims
+lodge, or elsewhere. He is a prize well worth taking. If you put him in
+my hands I will give you the government of half my domain."
+
+Roger set out upon his quest, and continued it for several days, first
+visiting the inns, and then going from house to house of the town,
+keenly inspecting every stranger. The king was really there, and at last
+was discovered by the eager searcher. Though in disguise, Roger
+suspected him. That mighty bulk, those muscular limbs, that imperious
+face, could belong to none but him who had swept through the Saracen
+hosts with a battle-axe which no other of the Crusaders could wield.
+Roger questioned him so closely that the king, after seeking to conceal
+his identity, was at length forced to reveal who he really was.
+
+"I am not your foe, but your friend," cried Roger, bursting into tears.
+"You are in imminent danger here, my liege, and must fly at once. My
+best horse is at your service. Make your escape, without delay, out of
+German territory."
+
+Waiting until he saw the king safely horsed, Roger returned to his
+master, and told him that the report was a false one. The only Crusader
+he had found in the town was Baldwin de Bethune, a Norman knight, on his
+way home from Palestine. The lord, furious at his disappointment, at
+once had Baldwin arrested and imprisoned. But Richard had escaped.
+
+The flying king hurried onward through the German lands, his only
+companions now being William de l'Etang, his intimate friend, and a
+valet who could speak the language of the country, and who served as
+their interpreter. For three days and three nights the travellers
+pursued their course, without food or shelter, not daring to stop or
+accost any of the inhabitants. At length they arrived at Vienna,
+completely worn out with hunger and fatigue.
+
+The fugitive king could have sought no more dangerous place of shelter.
+Vienna was the capital of Duke Leopold of Austria, whom Richard had
+mortally offended in Palestine, by tearing down his banner and planting
+the standard of England in its place. Yet all might have gone well but
+for the servant, who, while not a traitor, was as dangerous a thing, a
+fool. He was sent out from the inn to exchange the gold byzantines of
+the travellers for Austrian coin, and took occasion to make such a
+display of his money, and assume so dignified and courtier-like an air,
+that the citizens grew suspicious of him and took him before a
+magistrate to learn who he was. He declared that he was the servant of a
+rich merchant who was on his way to Vienna, and would be there in three
+days. This reply quieted the suspicions of the people, and, the foolish
+fellow was released.
+
+In great affright he hastened to the king, told him what had happened,
+and begged him to leave the town at once. The advice was good, but a
+three-days' journey without food or shelter called for some repose, and
+Richard decided to remain some days longer in the town, confident that,
+if they kept quiet, no further suspicion would arise.
+
+Meanwhile, the news of the incident at Yara had spread through the
+country and reached Vienna. Duke Leopold heard it with a double
+sentiment of enmity and avarice. Richard had insulted him; here was a
+chance for revenge; and the ransom of such a prisoner would enrich his
+treasury, then, presumably, none too full. Spies and men-at-arms were
+sent out in search of travellers who might answer to the description of
+the burly English monarch. For days they traversed the country, but no
+trace of him could be found. Leopold did not dream that his mortal foe
+was in his own city, comfortably lodged within a mile of his palace.
+
+Richard's servant, who had imperilled him before, now succeeded in
+finishing his work of folly. One day he appeared in the market to
+purchase provisions, foolishly bearing in his girdle a pair of richly
+embroidered gloves, such as only great lords wore when in court attire.
+The fellow was arrested again, and this time, suspicion being increased,
+was put to the torture. Very little of this sharp discipline sufficed
+him. He confessed whom he served, and told the magistrate at what inn
+King Richard might be found.
+
+Within an hour afterwards the inn was surrounded by soldiers of the
+duke, and Richard, taken by surprise, was forced to surrender. He was
+brought before the duke, who recognized him at a glance, accosted him
+with great show of courtesy, and with every display of respect ordered
+him to be taken to prison, where picked soldiers with drawn swords
+guarded him day and night.
+
+The news that King Richard was a prisoner in an Austrian fortress spread
+through Europe, and everywhere gave joy to the rulers of the various
+realms. Brave soldier as he was, he of the lion heart had succeeded in
+offending all his kingly comrades in the Crusade, and they rejoiced over
+his captivity as one might over the caging of a captured lion. The
+emperor called upon his vassal, Duke Leopold, to deliver the prisoner to
+him, saying that none but an emperor had the right to imprison a king.
+The duke assented, and the emperor, filled with glee, sent word of his
+good fortune to the king of France, who returned answer that the news
+was more agreeable to him than a present of gold or topaz. As for John,
+the brother of the imprisoned king, he made overtures for an alliance
+with Philip of France, redoubled his intrigues in England and Normandy,
+and secretly instigated the emperor to hold on firmly to his royal
+prize. All Europe seemed to be leagued against the unlucky king, who lay
+in bondage within the stern walls of a German prison.
+
+And now we feel tempted to leave awhile the domain of sober history, and
+enter that of romance, which tells one of its prettiest stories about
+King Richard's captivity. The story goes that the people of England knew
+not what had become of their king. That he was held in durance vile
+somewhere in Germany they had been told, but Germany was a broad land
+and had many prisons, and none knew which held the lion-hearted king.
+Before he could be rescued he must be found, and how should this be
+done?
+
+Those were the days of the troubadours, who sang their lively lays not
+only in Provence but in other lands. Richard himself composed lays and
+sang them to the harp, and Blondel, a troubadour of renown, was his
+favorite minstrel, accompanying him wherever he went. This faithful
+singer mourned bitterly the captivity of his king, and at length, bent
+on finding him, went wandering through foreign lands, singing under the
+walls of fortresses and prisons a lay which Richard well knew. Many
+weary days he wandered without response, almost without hope; yet still
+faithful Blondel roamed on, heedless of the palaces of the land, seeking
+only its prisons and strongholds.
+
+At length arrived a day in which, from a fortress window above his head,
+came an echo of the strain he had just sung. He listened in ecstasy.
+Those were Norman words; that was a well-known voice; it could be but
+the captive king.
+
+"O Richard! O my king!" sang the minstrel again, in a song of his own
+devising.
+
+From above came again the sound of familiar song. Filled with joy, the
+faithful minstrel sought England's shores, told the nobles where the
+king could be found, and made strenuous exertions to obtain his ransom,
+efforts which were at length crowned with success.
+
+Through the alluring avenues of romance the voice of Blondel still comes
+to us, singing his signal lay of "O Richard! O my king!" but history has
+made no record of the pretty tale, and back to history we must turn.
+
+The imprisoned king was placed on trial before the German Diet at Worms,
+charged with--no one knows what. Whatever the charge, the sentence was
+that he should pay a ransom of one hundred thousand pounds of silver,
+and acknowledge himself a vassal of the emperor. The latter, a mere
+formality, was gone through with as much pomp and ceremony as though it
+was likely to have any binding force upon English kings. The former, the
+raising of the money, was more difficult. Two years passed, and still it
+was not all paid. The royal prisoner, weary of his long captivity,
+complained bitterly of the neglect of his people and friends, singing
+his woes in a song composed in the polished dialect of Provence, the
+land of the troubadours.
+
+"There is no man, however base, whom for want of money I would let lie
+in a prison cell," he sang. "I do not say it as a reproach, but I am
+still a prisoner."
+
+A part of the ransom at length reached Germany, whose emperor sent a
+third of it to the duke of Austria as his share of the prize, and
+consented to the liberation of his captive in the third week after
+Christmas if he would leave hostages to guarantee the remaining
+payment.
+
+Richard agreed to everything, glad to escape from prison on any terms.
+But the news of this agreement spread until it reached the ears of
+Philip of France and his ally, John. Dread filled their hearts at the
+tidings. Their plans for seizing on England and Normandy were not yet
+complete. In great haste Philip sent messengers to the emperor, offering
+him seventy thousand marks of silver if he would hold his prisoner for
+one year longer, or, if he preferred, a thousand pounds of silver for
+each month of captivity. If he would give the prisoner into the custody
+of Philip and his ally, they would pay a hundred and fifty thousand
+marks for the prize.
+
+The offer was a tempting one. It dazzled the mind of the emperor, whose
+ideas of honor were not very deeply planted. But the members of the Diet
+would not suffer him to break his faith. Their power was great, even
+over the emperor's will, and the royal prisoner, after his many weary
+months of captivity, was set free.
+
+Word of the failure of his plans came quickly to Philip's knavish ears,
+and he wrote in haste to his confederate, "the devil is loose; take care
+of yourself," an admonition which John was quite likely to obey. His
+hope of seizing the crown vanished. There remained to meet his placable
+brother with a show of fraternal loyalty.
+
+But Richard was delayed in his purpose of reaching England, and danger
+again threatened him. He had been set free near the end of January,
+1194. He dared not enter France, and Normandy, then invaded by the
+French, was not safe for him. His best course was to take ship at a
+German port and sail for England. But it was the season of storms; he
+lay a month at Anvers imprecating the weather; meanwhile, avarice
+overcame both fear and honor in the emperor's heart, the large sum
+offered him outweighed the opposition of the lords of the Diet, and he
+resolved to seize the prisoner again and profit by the French king's
+golden bribe.
+
+Fortunately for Richard, the perfidious emperor allowed the secret of
+his design to get adrift; one of the hostages left in his hands heard of
+it and found means to warn the king. Richard, at this tidings, stayed
+not for storm, but at once took passage in the galliot of a Norman
+trader named Alain Franchemer, narrowly escaping the men-at-arms sent to
+take him prisoner. Not many days afterwards he landed at the English
+port of Sandwich, once more a free man and a king.
+
+What followed in Richard's life we design not to tell, other than the
+story of his life's ending with its romantic incidents. The liberated
+king had not been long on his native soil before he succeeded in
+securing Normandy against the invading French, building on its borders a
+powerful fortress, which he called his "Saucy Castle," and the ruins of
+whose sturdy walls still remain. Philip was wrathful when he saw its
+ramparts growing.
+
+"I will take it were its walls of iron," he declared.
+
+"I would hold it were the walls of butter," Richard defiantly replied.
+
+It was church land, and the archbishop placed Normandy under an
+interdict. Richard laughed at his wrath, and persuaded the pope to
+withdraw the curse. A "rain of blood" fell, which scared his courtiers,
+but Richard laughed at it as he had at the bishop's wrath.
+
+"Had an angel from heaven bid him abandon his work, he would have
+answered with a curse," says one writer.
+
+"How pretty a child is mine, this child of but a year old!" said
+Richard, gladly, as he saw the walls proudly rise.
+
+[Illustration: STATUE OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION.]
+
+He needed money to finish it. His kingdom had been drained to pay his
+ransom. But a rumor reached him that a treasure had been found at
+Limousin,--twelve knights of gold seated round a golden table, said the
+story. Richard claimed it. The lord of Limoges refused to surrender it.
+Richard assailed his castle. It was stubbornly defended. In savage wrath
+he swore he would hang every soul within its walls.
+
+There was an old song which said that an arrow would be made in Limoges
+by which King Richard would die. The song proved a true prediction. One
+night, as the king surveyed the walls, a young soldier, Bertrand de
+Gourdon by name, drew an arrow to its head, and saying, "Now I pray God
+speed thee well!" let fly.
+
+The shaft struck the king in the left shoulder. The wound might have
+been healed, but unskilful treatment made it mortal. The castle was
+taken while Richard lay dying, and every soul in it hanged, as the king
+had sworn, except Bertrand de Gourdon. He was brought into the king's
+tent, heavily chained.
+
+"Knave!" cried Richard, "what have I done to you that you should take my
+life?"
+
+"You have killed my father and my two brothers," answered the youth.
+"You would have hanged me. Let me die now, by any torture you will. My
+comfort is that no torture to me can save _you_. You, too, must die; and
+through me the world is quit of you."
+
+The king looked at him steadily, and with a gleam of clemency in his
+eyes.
+
+"Youth," he said, "I forgive you. Go unhurt."
+
+Then turning to his chief captain, he said,--
+
+"Take off his chains, give him a hundred shillings, and let him depart."
+
+He fell back on his couch, and in a few minutes was dead, having
+signalized his last moments with an act of clemency which had had few
+counterparts in his life. His clemency was not matched by his piety. The
+priests who were present at his dying bed exhorted him to repentance and
+restitution, but he drove them away with bitter mockery, and died as
+hardened a sinner as he had lived. It should, however, be said that this
+statement of the character of Richard's death, given by the historian
+Green, does not accord with that of Lingard, who says that Richard sent
+for his confessor and received the sacraments with sentiments of
+compunction.
+
+As for Bertrand, the chronicles say that he failed to profit by the
+kindness of the king. A dead monarch's voice has no weight in the land.
+The pardoned youth was put to death.
+
+
+
+
+_ROBIN HOOD AND THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE._
+
+
+"Where will the old duke live?" asks Oliver, in Shakespeare's "As you
+like it."
+
+"They say he is already in the forest of Arden," answers Charles, "and a
+many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of
+England, and fleet the time carelessly as they did in the golden world."
+
+Many a merry man, indeed, was there with Robin Hood in Sherwood forest,
+and, if we may believe the stories that live in the heart of English
+song, there they fleeted the time as carelessly as men did in the golden
+age; for Robin was king of the merry greenwood, as the Norman kings were
+lords of the realm beside, and though his state was not so great nor his
+coffers so full, his heart was merrier and his conscience more void of
+offence against man and God. If Robin lived by plunder, so did the king;
+the one took toll from a few travellers, the other from a kingdom; the
+one dealt hard blows in self-defence, the other killed thousands in war
+for self-aggrandizement; the one was a patriot, the other an invader.
+Verily Robin was far the honester man of the two, and most worthy the
+admiration of mankind.
+
+Nor was the kingdom of Robin Hood so much less extensive than that of
+England's king as men may deem, though its tenants were fewer and its
+revenues less. For in those days forest land spread widely over the
+English isle. The Norman kings had driven out the old inhabitants far
+and wide, and planted forests in place of towns, peopling them with deer
+in place of men. In its way this was merciful, perhaps. Those rude old
+kings were not content unless they were hunting and killing, and it was
+better they should kill deer than men. But their cruel game-laws could
+not keep men from the forests, and the woods they planted served as
+places of shelter for the outlaws they made.
+
+William the Conqueror, so we are told, had no less than sixty-eight
+forests peopled with deer, and guarded against intrusion of common man
+by a cruel interdict. His successors added new forests, until it looked
+as if England might be made all woodland, and the red deer its chief
+inhabitants. Sherwood forest, the favorite lurking-place of the bold
+Robin, stretched for thirty miles in an unbroken line. But this was only
+part of Robin's "realm of plesaunce." From Sherwood it was but a step to
+other forests, stretching league after league, and peopled by bands of
+merry rovers, who laughed at the king's laws, killed and ate his
+cherished deer at their own sweet wills, and defied sheriff and
+man-at-arms, the dense forest depths affording them innumerable
+lurking-places, their skill with the bow enabling them to defend their
+domain from assault, and to exact tribute from their foes.
+
+Such was the realm of Robin Hood, a realm of giant oaks and silvery
+birches, a realm prodigal of trees, o'ercanopied with green leaves until
+the sun had ado to send his rays downward, carpeted with brown moss and
+emerald grasses, thicketed with a rich undergrowth of bryony and
+clematis, prickly holly and golden furze, and a host of minor shrubs,
+while some parts of the forest were so dense that, as Camden says, the
+entangled branches of the thickly-set trees "were so twisted together,
+that they hardly left room for a person to pass."
+
+Here were innumerable hiding-places for the forest outlaws when hunted
+too closely by their foes. They lacked not food; the forest was filled
+with grazing deer and antlered stags. There was also abundance of
+smaller game,--the hare, the coney, the roe; and of birds,--the
+partridge, pheasant, woodcock, mallard, and heron. Fuel could be had in
+profusion when fire was needed. For winter shelter there were many
+caverns, for Sherwood forest is remarkable for its number of such places
+of refuge, some made by nature, others excavated by man.
+
+Happy must have been the life in this greenwood realm, jolly the outlaws
+who danced and sang beneath its shades, merry as the day was long their
+hearts while summer ruled the year, while even in drear winter they had
+their caverns of refuge, their roaring wood-fires, and the spoils of the
+year's forays to carry them through the season of cold and storm. A
+follower of bold Robin might truly sing, with Shakespeare,--
+
+      "Under the greenwood tree,
+      Who loves to lie with me,
+      And tune his merry note
+      Unto the sweet bird's throat,
+  Come hither, come hither, come hither:
+          Here shall he see
+          No enemy,
+  But winter and rough weather."
+
+But the life of the forest-dwellers was not spent solely in enjoyment of
+the pleasures of the merry greenwood. They were hunted by men, and
+became hunters of men. True English hearts theirs, all Englishmen their
+friends, all Normans their foes, they were in no sense brigands, but
+defenders of their soil against the foreign foe who had overrun it, the
+successors of Hereward the Wake, the last of the English to bear arms
+against the invader, and to keep a shelter in which the English heart
+might still beat in freedom.
+
+No wonder the oppressed peasants and serfs of the fields sang in gleeful
+strains the deeds of the forest-dwellers; no wonder that Robin Hood
+became the hero of the people, and that the homely song of the land was
+full of stories of his deeds. We can scarcely call these historical
+tales: they are legendary; yet it may well be that a stratum of fact
+underlies the aftergrowth of romance; certainly they were history to
+the people, and as such, with a mental reservation, they shall be
+history to us. We propose, therefore, here to convert into prose "a
+lytell geste of Robyn Hode."
+
+It was a day in merry spring-tide. Under the sun-sprinkled shadows of
+the "woody and famous forest of Barnsdale" (adjoining Sherwood) stood
+gathered a group of men attired in Lincoln green, bearing long bows in
+their hands and quivers of sharp-pointed arrows upon their shoulders,
+hardy men all, strong of limb and bold of face.
+
+[Illustration: ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS.]
+
+Leaning against an oak of centuried growth stood Robin Hood, the famous
+outlaw chief, a strong man and sturdy, with handsome face and merry blue
+eyes, one fitted to dance cheerily in days of festival, and to strike
+valiantly in hours of conflict. Beside him stood the tall and stalwart
+form of Little John, whose name was given him in jest, for he was the
+stoutest of the band. There also were valiant Much, the miller's son,
+gallant Scathelock, George a Green, the pindar of Wakefield, the fat and
+jolly Friar Tuck, and many another woodsman of renown, a band of lusty
+archers such as all England could not elsewhere match.
+
+"Faith o' my body, the hours pass apace," quoth Little John, looking
+upward through the trees. "Is it not time we should dine?"
+
+"I am not in the mood to dine without company," said Robin. "Our table
+is a dull one without guests. If we had now some bold baron or fat
+abbot, or even a knight or squire, to help us carve our haunch of
+venison, and to pay his scot for the feast, I wot me all our appetites
+would be better."
+
+He laughed meaningly as he looked round the circle of faces.
+
+"Marry, if such be your whim," answered Little John, "tell us whither we
+shall go to find a guest fit to grace our greenwood table, and of what
+rank he shall be."
+
+"At least let him not be farmer or yeoman," said Robin. "We war on
+hawks, not on doves. If you can bring me a bishop now, or i' faith, the
+high-sheriff of Nottingham, we shall dine merrily. Take Much and
+Scathelock with you, and away. Bring me earl or baron, abbot or simple
+knight, or squire, if no better can be had; the fatter their purses the
+better shall be their welcome."
+
+Taking their bows, the three yeomen strode at a brisk pace through the
+forest, bent upon other game than deer or antlered stag. On reaching the
+forest edge near Barnsdale, they lurked in the bushy shadows and kept
+close watch and ward upon the highway that there skirted the wood, in
+hope of finding a rich relish to Robin's meal.
+
+Propitious fortune seemed to aid their quest. Not long had they bided in
+ambush when, afar on the road, they spied a knight riding towards them.
+He came alone, without squire or follower, and promised to be an easy
+prey to the trio of stout woodsmen. But as he came near they saw that
+something was amiss with him. He rode with one foot in the stirrup, the
+other hanging loose; a simple hood covered his head, and hung
+negligently down over his eyes; grief or despair filled his visage, "a
+soryer man than he rode never in somer's day."
+
+Little John stepped into the road, courteously bent his knee to the
+stranger, and bade him welcome to the greenwood.
+
+"Welcome be you, gentle knight," he said; "my master has awaited you
+fasting, these three hours."
+
+"Your master--who is he?" asked the knight, lifting his sad eyes.
+
+"Robin Hood, the forest chief," answered Little John.
+
+"And a lusty yeoman he," said the knight. "Men say much good of him. I
+thought to dine to-day at Blythe or Dankaster, but if jolly Robin wants
+me I am his man. It matters little, save that I have no heart to do
+justice to any man's good cheer. Lead on, my courteous friend. The
+greenwood, then, shall be my dining-hall."
+
+Our scene now changes to the lodge of the woodland chief. An hour had
+passed. A merry scene met the eye. The long table was well covered with
+game of the choicest, swan, pheasants, and river fowl, and with roasts
+and steaks of venison, which had been on hoof not many hours before.
+Around it sat a jolly company of foresters, green-clad like the trees
+about them. At its head sat Robin Hood, his handsome face lending
+encouragement to the laughter and gleeful chat of his men. Beside him
+sat the knight, sober of attire, gloomy of face, yet brightening under
+the courteous treatment of his host and the gay sallies of the outlaw
+band.
+
+"Gramercy, Sir Woodman," said the knight, when the feast was at an end,
+"such a dinner as you have set me I have not tasted for weeks. When I
+come again to this country I hope to repay you with as good a one."
+
+"A truce to your dinner," said Robin, curtly. "All that dine in our
+woodland inn pay on the spot, Sir Knight. It is a good rule, I wot."
+
+"To full hands, mayhap," said the knight; "but I dare not, for very
+shame, proffer you what is in my coffers."
+
+"Is it so little, then?"
+
+"Ten shillings is not wealth," said the knight. "I can offer you no
+more."
+
+"Faith, if that be all, keep it, in God's name; and I'll lend you more,
+if you be in need. Go look, Little John; we take no stranger's word in
+the greenwood."
+
+John examined the knight's effects, and reported that he had told the
+truth. Robin gazed curiously at his guest.
+
+"I held you for a knight of high estate," he said. "A heedless
+husbandman you must have been, a gambler or wassailer, to have brought
+yourself to this sorry pass. An empty pocket and threadbare attire ill
+befit a knight of your parts."
+
+"You wrong me, Robin," said the knight, sadly. "Misfortune, not sin, has
+beggared me. I have nothing left but my children and my wife; but it is
+through no deed of my own. My son--my heir he should have been--slew a
+knight of Lancashire and his squire. To save him from the law I have
+made myself a beggar. Even my lands and house must go, for I have
+pledged them to the abbot of St. Mary as surety for four hundred pounds
+loaned me. I cannot pay him, and the time is near its end. I have lost
+hope, good sir, and am on my way to the sea, to take ship for the Holy
+Land. Pardon my tears, I leave a wife and children."
+
+"Where are your friends?" asked Robin.
+
+"Where are the last year's leaves of your trees?" asked the knight.
+"They were fair enough while the summer sun shone; they dropped from me
+when the winter of trouble came."
+
+"Can you not borrow the sum?" asked Robin. "Not a groat," answered the
+knight. "I have no more credit than a beggar."
+
+"Mayhap not with the usurers," said Robin. "But the greenwood is not
+quite bare, and your face, Sir Knight, is your pledge of faith. Go to my
+treasury, Little John, and see if it will not yield four hundred
+pounds."
+
+"I can promise you that, and more if need be," answered the woodman.
+"But our worthy knight is poorly clad, and we have rich cloths to spare,
+I wot. Shall we not add a livery to his purse?"
+
+"As you will, good fellow, and forget not a horse, for our guest's mount
+is of the sorriest."
+
+The knight's sorrow gave way to hope as he saw the eagerness, of the
+generous woodmen. Little John's count of the money added ample
+interest; the cloths were measured with a bow-stick for a yard, and a
+palfrey was added to the courser, to bear their welcome gifts. In the
+end Robin lent him Little John for a squire, and gave him twelve months
+in which to repay his loan. Away he went, no longer a knight of rueful
+countenance.
+
+  "Nowe as the knight went on his way,
+    This game he thought full good,
+  When he looked on Bernysdale
+    He blyssed Robin Hode;
+
+  "And when he thought on Bernysdale,
+    On Scathelock, Much, and John,
+  He blyssed them for the best company
+    That ever he in come."
+
+The next day was that fixed for the payment of the loan to the abbot of
+St. Mary's. Abbot and prior waited in hope and excitement. If the cash
+was not paid by night a rich estate would fall into their hands. The
+knight must pay to the last farthing, or be beggared. As they sat
+awaiting the cellarer burst in upon them, full of exultation.
+
+"He is dead or hanged!" he cried. "We shall have our four hundred pounds
+many times over."
+
+With them were the high-justice of England and the sheriff of the shire,
+brought there to give the proceeding the warrant of legality. Time was
+passing, an hour or two more would end the knight's grace, only a narrow
+space of time lay between him and beggary. The justice had just turned
+with congratulations to the abbot, when, to the discomfiture of the
+churchmen, the debtor, Sir Richard of the Lee, appeared at the gate of
+the abbey, and made his way into the hall.
+
+Yet he was shabbily clad; his face was sombre; there seemed little
+occasion for alarm. There seemed none when he began to speak.
+
+"Sir Abbot," he said, "I come to hold my day."
+
+"Hast thou brought my pay?" asked the abbot.
+
+"Not one penny," answered the knight.
+
+"Thou art a shrewd debtor," declared the abbot, with a look of
+satisfaction. "Sir Justice, drink to me. What brings you here then,
+sirrah, if you fetch no money?"
+
+"To pray your grace for a longer day," said Sir Richard, humbly.
+
+"Your day is ended; not an hour more do you get," cried the abbot.
+
+Sir Richard now appealed to the justice for relief, and after him to the
+sheriff, but to both in vain. Then, turning to the abbot again, he
+offered to be his servant, and work for him till the four hundred pounds
+were earned, if he would take pity on him.
+
+This appeal was lost on the merciless churchman. In the end hot words
+passed, and the abbot angrily exclaimed,--
+
+"Out of my hall, thou false knight! Speed thee out, sirrah!"
+
+"Abbot, thou liest, I was never false to my word," said Sir Richard,
+proudly. "You lack courtesy, to suffer a knight to kneel and beg so
+long. I am a true knight and a true man, as all who have seen me in
+tournament or battle will say."
+
+"What more will you give the knight for a full release?" asked the
+justice. "If you give nothing, you will never hold his lands in peace."
+
+"A hundred pounds," said the abbot.
+
+"Give him two," said the justice.
+
+"Not so," cried the knight. "If you make it a thousand more, not a foot
+of my land shall you ever hold. You have outwitted yourself, master
+abbot, by your greed."
+
+Sir Richard's humility was gone; his voice was clear and proud; the
+churchmen trembled, here was a new tone. Turning to a table, the knight
+took a bag from under his cloak, and shook out of it on to the board a
+ringing heap of gold.
+
+"Here is the gold you lent me, Sir Abbot," he cried. "Count it. You will
+find it four hundred pounds to the penny. Had you been courteous, I
+would have been generous. As it is, I pay not a penny over my due."
+
+
+  "The abbot sat styll, and ete no more
+    For all his ryall chere;
+  He cast his head on his sholder,
+    And fast began to stare."
+
+
+So ended this affair, the abbot in despair, the knight in triumph, the
+justice laughing at his late friends and curtly refusing to return the
+cash they had paid to bring him there. His money counted, his release
+signed, the knight was a glad man again.
+
+
+  "The knight stert out of the dore,
+    Awaye was all his care,
+  And on he put his good clothynge,
+    The other he lefte there.
+
+  "He wente hym forthe full mery syngynge,
+    As men have tolde in tale,
+  His lady met hym at the gate,
+    At home in Wierysdale.
+
+  "'Welcome, my lorde,' sayd his lady;
+    'Syr, lost is all your good?'
+  'Be mery dame,' said the knight,
+    'And pray for Robyn Hode,
+
+  "That ever his soule be in blysse,
+    He holpe me out of my tene;
+  Ne had not be his kyndenesse,
+    Beggers had we ben.'"
+
+
+The story wanders on, through pages of verse like the above, but we may
+fitly end it with a page of prose. The old singers are somewhat prolix;
+it behooves us to be brief.
+
+A twelvemonth passed. The day fixed by the knight to repay his friend of
+the merry greenwood came. On that day the highway skirting the forest
+was made brilliant by a grand array of ecclesiastics and their
+retainers, at their head no less a personage than the fat cellarer of
+St. Mary's.
+
+Unluckily for them, the outlaws were out that day, on the lookout for
+game of this description, and the whole pious procession was swept up
+and taken to Robin Hood's greenwood court. The merry fellow looked at
+his new guests with a smile. The knight had given the Virgin as his
+security,--surely the Virgin had taken him at his word, and sent these
+holy men to repay her debt.
+
+In vain the high cellarer denied that he represented any such exalted
+personage. He even lied as to the state of his coffers. It was a lie
+wasted, for Little John served him as he had the knight, and found a
+good eight hundred pounds in the monk's baggage.
+
+"Fill him with wine of the best!" cried Robin. "Our Lady is a generous
+debtor. She pays double. Fill him with wine and let him go. He has paid
+well for his dinner."
+
+Hardly had the monk and his train gone, in dole and grief, before
+another and merrier train was seen winding under the great oaks of the
+forest. It was the knight on his way to pay his debt. After him rode a
+hundred men clad in white and red, and bearing as a present to the
+delighted foresters a hundred bows of the finest quality, each with its
+sheaf of arrows, with burnished points, peacock feathers, and notched
+with silver. Each shaft was an ell long.
+
+The knight begged pardon. He had been delayed. On his way he had met a
+poor yeoman who was being ill-treated. He had stayed to rescue him. The
+sun was down; the hour passed; but he bore his full due to the generous
+lords of the greenwood.
+
+"You come too late," said Robin. "The Virgin, your surety, has been
+before you and paid your debt. The holy monks of St. Mary, her
+almoners, have brought it. They paid well, indeed; they paid double.
+Four hundred is my due, the other four hundred is yours. Take it, my
+good friend, our Lady sends it, and dwell henceforth in a state
+befitting your knightly station."
+
+Once more the good knight, Sir Richard of the Lee, dined with Robin
+Hood, and merry went the feast that day under the greenwood tree. The
+leaves of Sherwood still laugh with the mirth that then shook their
+bowery arches. Robin Hood dwells there no more, but the memory of the
+mighty archer and his merry men still haunts the woodland glades, and
+will while a lover of romance dwells in England's island realm.
+
+
+
+
+_WALLACE, THE HERO OF SCOTLAND._
+
+
+On a summer's day, many centuries ago, a young gentleman of Scotland was
+fishing in the river Irvine, near Ayr, attended by a boy who carried his
+fishing-basket. The young man was handsome of face, tall of figure, and
+strongly built, while his skill as an angler was attested by the number
+of trout which lay in the boy's basket. While he was thus engaged
+several English soldiers, from the garrison of Ayr, came up to the
+angler, and with the insolence with which these invaders were then in
+the habit of treating the Scotch, insisted on taking the basket and its
+contents from the boy.
+
+"You ask too much," said Wallace, quietly. "You are welcome to a part of
+the fish, but you cannot have them all."
+
+"That we will," answered the soldiers.
+
+"That you will not," retorted the youth. "I have other business than to
+play fisherman for your benefit."
+
+The soldiers insisted, and attempted to take the basket. The angler came
+to the aid of his attendant. Words were followed by blows. The soldiers
+laid hands on their weapons. The youth had no weapon but his
+fishing-rod. But with the butt end of this he struck the foremost
+Englishman so hard a blow under his ear that he stretched him dead upon
+the ground. Seizing the man's sword, which had fallen from his hand, he
+attacked the others with such skill and fury that they were put to
+flight, and the bold angler was enabled to take his fish safely home.
+
+The name of the courageous youth was William Wallace. He was the son of
+a private gentleman, called Wallace of Ellerslie, who had brought up his
+boy to the handling of warlike weapons, until he had grown an adept in
+their use; and also to a hatred of the English, which was redoubled by
+the insolence of the soldiers with whom Edward I. of England had
+garrisoned the country. Like all high-spirited Scotchmen, the young man
+viewed with indignation the conduct of the conquerors of his country,
+and expressed the intensity of his feeling in the tragical manner above
+described.
+
+Wallace's life was in imminent danger from his exploit. The affair was
+reported to the English governor of Ayr, who sought him diligently, and
+would have put him to death had he been captured. But he took to the
+hills and woods, and lay concealed in their recesses until the deed was
+forgotten, being supplied by his friends with the necessaries of life.
+As it was not safe to return to Ayr after his period of seclusion, he
+made his way to another part of the country, where his bitter hostility
+to the English soon led him into other encounters with them, in which
+his strength, skill, and courage usually brought him off victorious. So
+many were the affairs in which he was engaged, and so great his daring
+and success, that the people began to talk of him as the champion of
+Scotland, while the English grew to fear this indomitable young
+swordsman.
+
+At length came an adventure which brought matters to a crisis. Young
+Wallace had married a lady of Lanark, and had taken up his residence in
+that town with his wife. The place had an English garrison, and one day,
+as Wallace walked in the market-place in a rich green dress, with a
+handsome dagger by his side, an Englishman accosted him insultingly,
+saying that no Scotchman had the right to wear such finery or to carry
+so showy a weapon.
+
+He had tried his insolence on the wrong man. A quarrel quickly followed,
+and, as on similar occasions before, Wallace killed the Englishman. It
+was an unwise act, inspired by his hasty temper and fiery indignation.
+His peril was great. He hastened to his house, which was quickly
+attacked by soldiers of the garrison. While they were seeking to break
+in at the front, Wallace escaped at the rear, and made his way to a
+rocky glen, called the Cortland-crags, near the town, where he found a
+secure hiding-place among its thick-growing trees and bushes.
+
+Meanwhile, the governor of Lanark, Hazelrigg by name, finding that the
+culprit had escaped, set fire to his house, and with uncalled-for
+cruelty put his wife and servants to death. He also proclaimed Wallace
+an outlaw, and offered a reward for any one who should bring him in,
+dead or alive. He and many of his countrymen were destined to pay the
+penalty of this cruel deed before Wallace should fall into English
+hands.
+
+The murder of his wife set fire to the intense patriotism in Wallace's
+soul. He determined to devote his life to acts of reprisal against the
+enemy, and if possible to rescue his country from English hands. He soon
+had under his command a body of daring partisans, some of them outlaws
+like himself, others quite willing to become such for the good of
+Scotland. The hills and forests of the country afforded them numerous
+secure hiding-places, whence they could issue in raids upon the insolent
+foe.
+
+From that time forward Wallace gave the English no end of trouble. One
+of his first expeditions was against Hazelrigg, to whom he owed so
+bitter a debt of vengeance. The cruel governor was killed, and the
+murdered woman avenged. Other expeditions were attempted, and collisions
+with the soldiers sent against him became so frequent and the partisan
+band so successful, that Wallace quickly grew famous, and the number of
+his followers rapidly increased. In time, from being a band of outlaws,
+his party grew to the dimensions of a small army, and in place of
+contenting himself with local reprisals on the English, he cherished the
+design of striking for the independence of his country.
+
+The most notable adventure which followed this increase of Wallace's
+band is one the story of which may be in part legendary, but which is
+significant of the cruelty of warfare in those thirteenth-century days.
+It is remembered among the Scottish people under the name of the "Barns
+of Ayr."
+
+The English governor of Ayr is said to have sent a general invitation to
+the nobility and gentry of that section of Scotland to meet him in
+friendly conference on national affairs. The place fixed for the meeting
+was in certain large buildings called the barns of Ayr. The true purpose
+of the governor was a murderous one. He proposed to rid himself of many
+of those who were giving him trouble by the effective method of the
+rope. Halters with running nooses had been prepared, and hung upon the
+beams which supported the roof. The Scotch visitors were admitted two at
+a time, and as they entered the nooses were thrown over their heads, and
+they drawn up and hanged. Among those thus slain was Sir Reginald
+Crawford, sheriff of the county of Ayr, and uncle to William Wallace.
+
+This story it is not easy to believe, in the exact shape in which it is
+given, since it is unlikely that the Scottish nobles were such fools as
+it presupposes; but that it is founded on some tragical fact is highly
+probable. The same is the case with the story of Wallace's retribution
+for this crime. When the news of it came to his ears he is said to have
+been greatly incensed, and to have determined on an adequate revenge. He
+collected his men in a wood near. Ayr, and sent out spies to learn the
+state of affairs. The English had followed their crime with a period of
+carousing, and, having eaten and drunk all they wished, had lain down to
+sleep in the barns in which the Scotch gentry had been murdered. Not
+dreaming that a foe was so near, they had set no guards, and thus left
+themselves open to the work of revenge.
+
+This news being brought to Wallace, he directed a woman, who was
+familiar with the locality, to mark with chalk the doors of the
+buildings where the Englishmen lay. Then, slipping up to the borders of
+Ayr, he sent a party with ropes, bidding them to fasten securely all the
+marked doors. This done, others heaped straw on the outside of the
+buildings and set it on fire. The buildings, being constructed of wood,
+were quickly in a flame, the English waking from their drunken slumbers
+to find themselves environed with fire.
+
+Their fate was decided. Every entrance to the buildings had been
+secured. Such as did succeed in getting out were driven back into the
+flames, or killed on the spot. The whole party perished miserably, not
+one escaping. In addition to the English thus disposed of, there were a
+number lodged in a convent. These were attacked by the prior and the
+monks, who had armed themselves with swords, and fiercely assailed their
+guests, few of them escaped. The latter event is known as "The Friar of
+Ayr's Blessing."
+
+Such is the story of a crime and its retribution. To say that it is
+legendary is equivalent to saying that it is not true in all its
+particulars; but that it is founded on fact its common acceptance by the
+people of that country seems evidence.
+
+So far the acts of Wallace and his men had been of minor importance. But
+now his party of followers grew into an army, many of the Scottish
+nobles joining him. Prominent among these was Sir William Douglas, the
+head of the most famous family in Scottish history. Another was Sir John
+Grahame, who became the chief friend and confident of the champion of
+the rights of Scotland.
+
+This rebellious activity on the part of the Scotch had not been viewed
+with indifference by the English. The raids of Wallace and his band of
+outlaws they had left the local garrisons to deal with. But here was an
+army, suddenly sprung into existence, and needing to be handled in a
+different manner. An English army, under the command of John de Warenne,
+the Earl of Surrey, marched towards Wallace's camp, with the purpose of
+putting a summary end to this incipient effort at independence.
+
+The approach of Warenne weakened Wallace's army, since many of the
+nobles deserted his ranks, under the fear that he could not withstand
+the greatly superior English force. Yet, in spite of these defections,
+he held his ground. He still had a considerable force under his command,
+and took position near the town of Stirling, on the south side of the
+river Forth, where he awaited the approaching English army. The river
+was at this point crossed by a long wooden bridge.
+
+The English host reached the southern bank of the river. Its commander,
+thinking that he might end the matter in a peaceful way, sent two
+clergy-men to Wallace, offering a pardon to him and his followers if
+they would lay down their arms.
+
+"Go back to Warenne," was the reply of Wallace, "and tell him we value
+not the pardon of the king of England. We are not here for the purpose
+of treating of peace, but of abiding battle, and restoring freedom to
+our country. Let the English come on; we defy them to their very
+beards!"
+
+[Illustration: THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING.]
+
+Despite the disparity in numbers, Wallace had some warrant for his tone
+of confidence. The English could not reach him except over the long and
+narrow bridge, and stood the chance of having their vanguard destroyed
+before the remainder could come to their aid.
+
+Such proved to be the case. The English, after some hesitation,
+attempted the passage of the bridge. Wallace held off until about half
+the army had crossed and the bridge was thickly crowded with others.
+Then he charged upon them with his whole force, and with such
+impetuosity that they were thrown into confusion, and soon put to rout,
+a large number being slain and the remainder driven into the Forth,
+where the greater part of them were drowned. The portion of the English
+army which had not crossed became infected with the panic of their
+fellows, and fled in all haste, first setting fire to the bridge to
+prevent pursuit.
+
+This signal victory had the most encouraging influence on the people of
+Scotland. The defeated army fled in all haste from the country, and
+those of the Scotch who had hitherto remained in doubt now took arms,
+and assailed the castles still held by the English. Many of these were
+taken, and numerous gallant deeds done, of which Wallace is credited
+with his full share. How much exaggeration there may be in the stories
+told it is not easy to say, but it seems certain that the English
+suffered several defeats, lost most of the towns and castles they had
+held, and were driven almost entirely from the country. Wallace, indeed,
+led his army into England, and laid waste Cumberland and Northumberland,
+where many cruelties were committed, the Scottish soldiers being
+irrepressible in their thirst for revenge on those who had so long
+oppressed their country.
+
+While these events were going on Edward I. was in Flanders. He had
+deemed Scotland thoroughly subjugated, and learned with surprise and
+fury that the Scottish had risen against him, defeated his armies, set
+free their country, and even invaded England. He hurried back from
+Flanders in a rage, determined to bring this rebellion to a short and
+decisive termination.
+
+Collecting a large army, Edward invaded Scotland. His opponent,
+meanwhile, had been made protector, or governor, of Scotland, with the
+title of Sir William Wallace. Yet he had risen so rapidly from a
+private station to this great position that there was much jealousy of
+him on the part of the great nobles, and their lack of support of the
+best soldier and bravest man of their nation was the main cause of his
+downfall and the subsequent disasters to their country.
+
+Wallace, despite their defection, had assembled a considerable army. But
+it was not so strong as that of Edward, who had, besides, a large body
+of the celebrated archers of England, each of whom carried, so it was
+claimed, twelve Scotchmen's lives in his girdle,--in his twelve
+cloth-yard arrows.
+
+The two armies met at Falkirk. Wallace, before the fighting began,
+addressed his men in a pithy sentence: "I have brought you to the ring,
+let me see how you can dance." The battle opened with a charge of the
+English cavalry on the dense ranks of the Scottish infantry, who were
+armed with long spears which they held so closely together that their
+line seemed impregnable. The English horsemen found it so. They
+attempted again and again to break through that "wood of spears," as it
+has been called, but were every time beaten off with loss. But the
+Scotch horse failed to support their brave footmen. On the contrary,
+they fled from the field, through ill-will or treachery of the nobles,
+as is supposed.
+
+Edward now ordered his archers to advance. They did so, and poured their
+arrows upon the Scottish ranks in such close and deadly volleys that
+flesh and blood could not endure it. Wallace had also a body of archers,
+from Ettrick forest, but they were attacked in their advance and many of
+them slain. The English cavalry now again charged. They met with a
+different reception from their previous one. The storm of arrows had
+thrown Wallace's infantry into confusion, the line was broken at several
+points, and the horsemen charged into their midst, cutting them down in
+great numbers. Sir John Grahame and others of their leaders were slain,
+and the Scotch, their firm ranks broken and many of them slain, at
+length took to flight.
+
+It was on the 22d of July, 1298, that this decisive battle took place.
+Its event put an end, for the time, to the hopes of Scottish
+independence. Opposition to Edward's army continued, and some successes
+were gained, but the army of invasion was abundantly reinforced, until
+in the end Wallace alone, at the head of a small band of followers,
+remained in arms.
+
+After all others had yielded, he persistently refused to submit to
+Edward and his armies. As he had been the first to take arms, he was the
+last to keep the field, and for some years he continued to maintain
+himself among the woods and hills of the Highlands, holding his own for
+more than a year after all the other chiefs had surrendered.
+
+Edward was determined not to leave him at liberty. He feared the
+influence of this one man more than of all the nobles of Scotland, and
+pursued him unremittingly, a great price being offered for his head. At
+length the gallant champion was captured, a Scotchman, Sir John
+Menteith, earning obloquy by the act. The story goes that the capture
+was made at Robroyston, near Glasgow, the fugitive champion being taken
+by treachery, the signal for rushing upon him and taking him unawares
+being for one of the company to turn a loaf, which lay upon the table,
+with its bottom side uppermost. In after-days it was considered very
+ill-breeding for any one to turn a loaf in this manner, if a person
+named Menteith were at table.
+
+However this be, it is certain that Wallace was taken and delivered to
+his great enemy, and no less certain that he was treated with barbarous
+harshness. He was placed on trial at Westminster Hall, on the charge of
+being a traitor to the English crown, and Edward, to insult him, had him
+crowned with a green garland, as one who had been king of outlaws and
+robbers in the Scottish woods.
+
+"I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject," was
+the chieftain's answer to the charge against him.
+
+He was then accused of taking many towns and castles, killing many men,
+and doing much violence.
+
+"It is true I have killed many Englishmen," replied Wallace, "but it was
+because they came to oppress my native country. Far from repenting of
+this, I am only sorry not to have put to death many more of them."
+
+Wallace's defence was a sound one, but Edward had prejudged him. He was
+condemned and executed, his body being quartered, in the cruel fashion
+of that time, and the parts exposed on spikes on London bridge, as the
+limbs of a traitor. Thus died a hero, at the command of a tyrant.
+
+
+
+
+_BRUCE AT BANNOCKBURN._
+
+
+To Edward the Second, lying in luxurious idleness in his palace of
+pleasure at London, came the startling word that he must strike a blow
+or lose a kingdom. Scotland was slipping from his weak grasp. Of that
+great realm, won by the iron hand of his father, only one stronghold was
+left to England--Stirling Castle, and that was fiercely besieged by
+Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, who some years before had been
+crowned King of Scotland and was now seeking to drive the English out of
+his realm.
+
+The tidings that came to Edward were these. Sir Philip Mowbray, governor
+of Stirling, hotly pressed by Bruce, and seeing no hope of succor, had
+agreed to deliver the town and castle to the Scotch, unless relief
+reached him before midsummer. Bruce stopped not the messengers. He let
+them speed to London with the tidings, willing, doubtless, in his bold
+heart, to try it once for all with the English king, and win all or lose
+all at a blow.
+
+The news stirred feebly the weak heart of Edward,--lapped in delights,
+and heedless of kingdoms. It stirred strongly the vigorous hearts of the
+English nobility, men who had marched to victory under the banners of
+the iron Edward, and who burned with impatience at the inglorious ease
+of his silken son. The great deeds of Edward I. should not go for
+naught, they declared. He had won Scotland; his son should not lose it.
+Robert Bruce, the rebel chief, had been left alone until he had gathered
+an army and nearly made Scotland his own. Only Stirling remained; it
+would be to the endless disgrace of England should it be abandoned, and
+the gallant Mowbray left without support. An army must be gathered,
+Bruce must be beaten, Scotland must be won.
+
+Like the cry of a pack of sleuth-hounds in the ear of the timid deer
+came these stern demands to Edward the king. He dared not disregard
+them. It might be as much as his crown were worth. England meant
+business, and its king must take the lead or he might be asked to yield
+the throne. Stirred alike by pride and fear, he roused from his
+lethargy, gave orders that an army should be gathered, and vowed to
+drive the beleaguering Scots from before Stirling's walls.
+
+From every side they came, the marching troops. England, hot with
+revengeful blood, mustered its quota in haste. Wales and Ireland, new
+appendages of the English throne, supplied their share. From the French
+provinces of the kingdom hosts of eager men-at-arms flocked across the
+Channel. All the great nobles and the barons of the realm led their
+followers, equipped for war, to the mustering-place, until a force of
+one hundred thousand men was ready for the field, perhaps the largest
+army which had ever marched under an English king. In this great array
+were thirty thousand horsemen. It looked as if Scotland were doomed.
+Surely that sterile land could raise no force to face this great array!
+
+King Robert the Bruce did his utmost to prepare for the storm of war
+which threatened to break upon his realm. In all haste he summoned his
+barons and nobles from far and near. From the Highlands and the Lowlands
+they came, from island and mainland flocked the kilted and tartaned
+Scotch, but, when all were gathered, they numbered not a third the host
+of their foes, and were much more poorly armed. But at their head was
+the most expert military chief of that day, since the death of Edward I.
+the greatest warrior that Europe knew. Once again was it to be proved
+that the general is the soul of his army, and that skill and courage are
+a full offset for lack of numbers.
+
+Towards Stirling marched the great English array, confident in their
+numbers, proud of their gallant show. Northward they streamed, filling
+all the roads, the king, at their head, deeming doubtless that he was on
+a holiday excursion, and that behind him came a wind of war that would
+blow the Scotch forces into the sea. Around Stirling gathered the army
+of the Bruce, marching in haste from hill and dale, coming in to the
+stirring peal of the pipes and the old martial airs of the land, until
+the plain around the beleaguered town seemed a living sea of men, and
+the sunlight burned on endless points of steel.
+
+But Bruce had no thought of awaiting the onset here. He well knew that
+he must supply by skill what he lacked in numbers. The English army was
+far superior to his, not only in men, but in its great host of cavalry,
+which alone equalled his entire force, and in its multitude of archers,
+the best bowmen in the world. What he lacked in men and arms he must
+make up in brains. With this in view, he led his army from before the
+town into a neighboring plain, called the Park, where nature had
+provided means of defence of which he might avail himself.
+
+The ground which his army here occupied was hard and dry. That in front
+of it, through which Edward's host must pass, was wet and boggy, cut up
+with frequent watercourses, and ill-fitted for cavalry. Should the
+heavy-armed horsemen succeed in crossing this marshy and broken ground
+and reach the firm soil in the Scottish front, they would find
+themselves in a worse strait still. For Bruce had his men dig a great
+number of holes as deep as a man's knee. These were covered with light
+brush, and the turf spread evenly over them, so that the honeycombed
+soil looked to the eye like an unbroken field. Elsewhere on the plain he
+scattered calthrops--steel spikes--to lame the English horses. Smooth
+and promising looked the field, but the English cavalry were likely to
+find it a plain of pitfalls and steel points.
+
+While thus defending his front, Bruce had given as skilful heed to the
+defence of his flanks. On the left his line reached to the walls of
+Stirling. On the right it touched the banks of Bannockburn, a brook that
+ran between borders so rocky as to prevent attack from that quarter.
+Here, on the 23d of June, 1314, was posted the Scottish army, awaiting
+the coming of the foe, the camp-followers, cart-drivers, and other
+useless material of the army being sent back behind a hill,--afterwards
+known as the gillies' or servants' hill,--that they might be out of the
+way. They were to play a part in the coming fray of which Bruce did not
+dream.
+
+Thus prepared, Bruce reviewed his force, and addressed them in stirring
+words. The battle would be victory or death to him, he said. He hoped it
+would be to all. If any among them did not propose to fight to the
+bitter end and take victory or death, as God should decree, for his lot,
+now was the time to withdraw; all such might leave the field before the
+battle began. Not a man left.
+
+Fearing that the English might try to throw a force into Stirling
+Castle, the king posted his nephew Randolph with a body of men near St.
+Ninian's church. Lord Douglas and Sir Robert Keith were sent to survey
+and report upon the English force, which was marching from Falkirk. They
+returned with tidings to make any but stout hearts quiver. Such an army
+as was coming they had never seen before; it was a beautiful but a
+terrible sight, the approach of that mighty host. The whole country, as
+far as the eye could see, was crowded with men on horse or on foot.
+Never had they beheld such a grand display of standards, banners, and
+pennons. So gallant and fearful a show was it all, that the bravest host
+in Christendom might well tremble to see King Edward's army marching
+upon them. Such was the story told by Douglas, though his was not the
+heart to tremble in the telling.
+
+Bruce was soon to see this great array of horse and foot for himself. On
+they came, filling the country far and near with their numbers. But
+before they had come in view, another sight met the vigilant eyes of the
+Scottish king. To the eastward there became visible a body of English
+horse, riding at speed, and seeking to reach Stirling from that quarter.
+Bruce turned to his nephew, who stood beside him.
+
+"See, Randolph," he said, "there is a rose fallen from your chaplet."
+
+The English had passed the post which Randolph had been set to guard. He
+heard the rebuke in silence, rode hastily to the head of his men, and
+rushed against the eight hundred English horse with half that number of
+footmen. The English turned to charge this daring force. Randolph drew
+up his men in close order to receive them. It looked as if the Scotch
+would be overwhelmed, and trampled under foot by the powerful foe.
+
+"Randolph is lost!" cried Douglas. "He must have help. Let me go to his
+aid."
+
+"Let Randolph redeem his own fault," answered the king, firmly. "I
+cannot break the order of battle for his sake."
+
+Douglas looked on, fuming with impatience. The danger seemed more
+imminent. The small body of Scotch foot almost vanished from sight in
+the cloud of English horsemen. The glittering lances appeared about to
+annihilate them.
+
+"So please you," said Douglas, "my heart will not suffer me to stand
+idle and see Randolph perish, I must go to his assistance."
+
+The king made no answer. Douglas spurred to the head of his troop, and
+rode off at speed. He neared the scene of conflict. Suddenly a change
+came. The horsemen appeared confused. Panic seemed to have stricken
+their ranks. In a moment away they went, in full flight, many of the
+horses with empty saddles, while the gallant troop of Scotch stood
+unmoved.
+
+"Halt!" cried Douglas. "Randolph has gained the day. Since we are not
+soon enough to help him in the battle, do not let us lessen his glory by
+approaching the field." And the noble knight pulled rein and galloped
+back, unwilling to rob Randolph of any of the honor of his deed.
+
+The English vanguard was now in sight. From it rode out a number of
+knights, eager to see the Scotch array more nearly. King Robert did the
+same. He was in armor, but was poorly mounted, riding only a little
+pony, with which he moved up and down the front of his army, putting his
+men in order. A golden crown worn over his helmet was his sole mark of
+distinction. The only weapon he carried was a steel battle-axe. As the
+English knights came nearer, he advanced a little to have a closer look
+at them.
+
+[Illustration: STIRLING CASTLE.]
+
+Here seemed an opportunity for a quick and decisive blow. The Scottish
+king was at some distance in front of his men, his rank indicated by his
+crown, his horse a poor one, his hand empty of a spear. He might be
+ridden down by a sudden onset, victory to the English host be gained by
+a single blow, and great glory come to the bold knight that dealt it.
+
+So thought one of the English knights, Sir Henry de Bohun by name.
+Putting spurs to his powerful horse, he galloped furiously upon the
+king, thinking to bear him easily to the ground. Bruce saw him coming,
+but made no movement of flight. He sat his pony warily, waiting the
+onset, until Bohun was nearly upon him with his spear. Then a quick
+touch to the rein, a sudden movement of the horse, and the lance-point
+sped past, missing its mark.
+
+The Scotch army stood in breathless alarm; the English host in equally
+breathless expectation; it seemed for the moment as if Robert the Bruce
+were lost. But as De Bohun passed him, borne onward by the career of his
+steed, King Robert rose in his stirrups, swung his battle-axe in the
+air, and brought it down on his adversary's head with so terrible a blow
+that the iron helmet cracked as though it were a nutshell, and the
+knight fell from his horse, dead before he reached the ground.
+
+King Robert turned and rode back, where he was met by a storm of
+reproaches from his nobles, who declared that he had done grave wrong
+in exposing himself to such danger, when the safety of the army depended
+on him. The king heard their reproaches in silence, his eyes fixed on
+the fractured edge of his weapon.
+
+"I have broken my good battle-axe," was his only reply.
+
+This incident ended the day. Night was at hand. Both armies rested on
+the field. But at an early hour of the next day, the 24th of June, the
+battle began, one of the critical battles of history.
+
+Through the Scottish ranks walked barefooted the abbot of Inchaffray,
+exhorting the men to fight their best for freedom. The soldiers kneeled
+as he passed.
+
+"They kneel down!" cried King Edward, who saw this. "They are asking
+forgiveness!"
+
+"Yes," said a baron beside him, "but they ask it from God, not from us.
+These men will conquer, or die upon the field."
+
+The battle began with a flight of English arrows. The archers, drawn up
+in close ranks, bent their bows, and poured their steel shafts as
+thickly as snow-flakes on the Scotch, many of whom were slain. Something
+must be done, and that speedily, or those notable bowmen would end the
+battle of themselves. Flesh and blood could not long bear that rain of
+cloth-yard shafts, with their points of piercing steel.
+
+But Bruce had prepared for this danger. A body of well-mounted
+men-at-arms stood ready, and at the word of command rushed at full
+gallop upon the archers, cutting them down to right and left. Having no
+weapons but their bows and arrows, the archers broke and fled in utter
+confusion, hundreds of them being slain.
+
+This charge of the Scotch cavalry was followed by an advance in force of
+the English horsemen, who came forward in such close and serried ranks
+and with so vast an array that it looked as if they would overwhelm the
+narrow lines before them. But suddenly trouble came upon this mighty
+mass of knights and men-at-arms. The seemingly solid earth gave way
+under their horses' feet, and down they went into the hidden pits, the
+horses hurled headlong, the riders flung helplessly upon the ground,
+from which the weight of their armor prevented their rising.
+
+In an instant the Scotch footmen were among them, killing the
+defenceless knights, cutting and slashing among the confused mass of
+horsemen, breaking their fine display into irretrievable disorder. Bruce
+brought up his men in crowding multitudes. Through the English ranks
+they glided, stabbing horses, slaying their iron-clad riders, doubly
+increasing the confusion of that wild whirl of horsemen, whose trim and
+gallant ranks had been thrown into utter disarray.
+
+The English fought as they could, though at serious disadvantage. But
+their numbers were so great that they might have crushed the Scotch
+under their mere weight but for one of these strange chances on which
+the fate of so many battles have depended. As has been said, the Scotch
+camp-followers had been sent back behind a hill. But on seeing that
+their side seemed likely to win the day, this rabble came suddenly
+crowding over the hill, eager for a share in the spoil.
+
+It was a disorderly mob, but to the sorely-pressed English cavalry it
+seemed a new army which the Bruce had held in reserve. Suddenly stricken
+with panic, the horsemen turned and fled, each man for himself, as fast
+as their horses could carry them, the whole army breaking rank and
+rushing back in terror over the ground which they had lately traversed
+in such splendor of appearance and confidence of soul.
+
+After them came the Scotch, cutting, slashing, killing, paving the earth
+with English slain. King Edward put spurs to his horse and fled in all
+haste from the fatal field. A gallant knight, Sir Giles de Argentine,
+who had won glory in Palestine, kept by him till he was out of the
+press. Then he drew rein.
+
+"It is not my custom to fly," he said.
+
+Turning his horse and shouting his war-cry of "Argentine! Argentine!" he
+rushed into the densest ranks of the Scotch, and was quickly killed.
+
+Many others of high rank fell, valiantly fighting, men who knew not the
+meaning of flight. But the bulk of the army was in hopeless panic,
+flying for life, red lines constantly falling before the crimsoned
+claymores of the Scotch, until the very streams ran red with blood.
+
+King Edward found war less than ever to his royal taste. He fled to
+Stirling Castle and begged admittance.
+
+"I cannot grant it, my liege," answered Mowbray. "My compact with the
+Bruce obliges me to surrender the castle to-morrow. If you enter here it
+will be to become prisoner to the Scotch."
+
+Edward turned and continued his flight, his route lying through the
+Torwood. After him came Lord Douglas, with a body of cavalry, pressing
+forward in hot haste. On his way he met a Scotch knight, Sir Lawrence
+Abernethy, with twenty horsemen, riding to join Edward's army.
+
+"Edward's army? He has no army," cried Douglas. "The army is a rout.
+Edward himself is in flight. I am hot on his track."
+
+"I am with you, then," cried Abernethy, changing sides on the instant,
+and joining in pursuit of the king whom he had just before been eager to
+serve.
+
+Away went the frightened king. On came the furious pursuers. Not a
+moment was given Edward to draw rein or alight. The chase was continued
+as far as Dunbar, whose governor, the earl of March, opened his gates to
+the flying king, and shut them against his foes. Giving the forlorn
+monarch a small fishing-vessel, he set him on the seas for England, a
+few distressed attendants alone remaining to him of the splendid army
+with which he had marched to the conquest of Scotland.
+
+Thus ended the battle which wrested Scotland from English hands, and
+made Robert Bruce king of the whole country. From the state of an exile,
+hunted with hounds, he had made himself a monarch, and one who soon gave
+the English no little trouble to protect their own borders.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SIEGE OF CALAIS._
+
+
+Terrible and long-enduring had been the siege of Calais. For a whole
+year it had continued, and still the sturdy citizens held the town.
+Outside was Edward III., with his English host, raging at the obstinacy
+of the French and at his own losses during the siege. Inside was John de
+Vienne, the unyielding governor, and his brave garrison. Outside was
+plenty; inside was famine; between were impregnable walls, which all the
+engines of Edward failed to reduce or surmount. No resource was left the
+English king but time and famine; none was left the garrison but the
+hope of wearying their foes or of relief by their king. The chief foe
+they fought against was starvation, an enemy against whom warlike arms
+were of no avail, whom only stout hearts and inflexible endurance could
+meet; and bravely they faced this frightful foe, those stout citizens of
+Calais.
+
+An excellent harbor had Calais. It had long been the sheltering-place
+for the pirates that preyed on English commerce. But now no ship could
+leave or enter. The English fleet closed the passage by sea; the English
+army blocked all approach by land; the French king, whose great army had
+just been mercilessly slaughtered at Crecy, held aloof, nothing seemed
+to remain for Calais but death or surrender, and yet the valiant
+governor held out against his foes.
+
+As the days went on and no relief came he made a census of the town,
+selected seventeen hundred poor and unsoldierly folks, "useless mouths,"
+as he called them, and drove them outside the walls. Happily for them,
+King Edward was just then in a good humor. He gave the starving outcasts
+a good dinner and twopence in money each, and passed them through his
+ranks to make their way whither they would.
+
+More days passed; food grew scarcer; there were more "useless mouths" in
+the town; John de Vienne decided to try this experiment again. Five
+hundred more were thrust from the gates. This time King Edward was not
+in a good humor. He bade his soldiers drive them back at sword's-point.
+The governor refused to admit them into the town. The whole miserable
+multitude died of starvation in sight of both camps. Such were the
+amenities of war in the Middle Ages, and in fact, of war in almost all
+ages, for mercy counts for little when opposed by military exigencies.
+
+A letter was now sent to the French king, Philip de Valois, imploring
+succor. They had eaten, said the governor, their horses, their dogs,
+even the rats and mice; nothing remained but to eat one another.
+Unluckily, the English, not the French, king received this letter, and
+the English host grew more watchful than ever. But Philip de Valois
+needed not letters to tell him of the extremity of the garrison; he
+knew it well, and knew as well that haste alone could save him one of
+his fairest towns.
+
+[Illustration: THE PORT OF CALAIS.]
+
+But he had suffered a frightful defeat at Crecy only five days before
+the siege of Calais began. Twelve hundred of his knights and thirty
+thousand of his foot-soldiers--a number equal to the whole English
+force--had been slain on the field; thousands of others had been taken
+prisoner; a new army was not easily to be raised. Months passed before
+Philip was able to come to the relief of the beleaguered stronghold. The
+Oriflamme, the sacred banner of the realm, never displayed but in times
+of dire extremity, was at length unfurled to the winds, and from every
+side the great vassels of the kingdom hastened to its support. France,
+ever prolific of men, poured forth her sons until she had another large
+army in the field. In July of 1347, eleven months after the siege began,
+the garrison, weary with long waiting, saw afar from their lookout
+towers the floating banners of France, and beneath them the faintly-seen
+forms of a mighty host.
+
+The glad news spread through the town. The king was coming with a great
+army at his back! Their sufferings had not been in vain; they would soon
+be relieved, and those obstinate English be driven into the sea! Had a
+fleet of bread-ships broken through the blockade, and sailed with waving
+pennons into the harbor, the souls of the garrison could not have been
+more uplifted with joy.
+
+Alas! it was a short-lived joy. Not many days elapsed before that great
+host faded before their eyes like a mist under the sun-rays, its banners
+lifting and falling as they slowly vanished into the distance, the gleam
+of its many steel-headed weapons dying out until not a point of light
+remained. Their gladness turned into redoubled misery as they saw
+themselves thus left to their fate; their king, who had marched up with
+such a gallant show of banners and arms, marching away without striking
+a blow. It was hard to believe it; but there they went, and there the
+English lay.
+
+The soil of France had never seen anything quite so ludicrous--but for
+its tragic side--as this march of Philip the king. Two roads led to the
+town, but these King Edward, who was well advised of what was coming,
+had taken care to intrench and guard so strongly that it would prove no
+light nor safe matter to force a way through. Philip sent out his spies,
+learned what was before him, and, full of the memory of Crecy, decided
+that it would be too costly an experiment to attack those works. But
+were not those the days of chivalry? was not Edward famed for his
+chivalrous spirit? Surely he, as a noble and puissant knight, would not
+take an unfair advantage of his adversary. As a knight of renown he
+could not refuse to march into the open field, and trust to God and St.
+George of England for his defence, as against God and St. Denys of
+France.
+
+Philip, thereupon, sent four of his principal lords to the English
+king, saying that he was there to do battle, as knight against knight,
+but _could find no way to come to him_. He requested, therefore, that a
+council should meet to fix upon a place of battle, where the difference
+between him and his cousin of England might be fairly decided.
+
+Surely such a request had never before been made to an opposing general.
+Doubtless King Edward laughed in his beard at the naive proposal, even
+if courtesy kept him from laughing in the envoys' faces. As regards his
+answer, we cannot quote its words, but its nature may be gathered from
+the fact that Philip soon after broke camp, and marched back over the
+road by which he had come, saying to himself, no doubt, that the English
+king lacked knightly honor, or he would not take so unfair an advantage
+of a foe. And thus ended this strange episode in war, Philip marching
+away with all the bravery of his host, Edward grimly turning again to
+the town which he held in his iron grasp.
+
+The story of the siege of Calais concludes in a highly dramatic fashion.
+It was a play presented upon a great stage, but with true dramatic
+accessories of scenery and incident. These have been picturesquely
+preserved by the old chroniclers, and are well worthy of being again
+presented. Froissart has told the tale in his own inimitable fashion. We
+follow others in telling it in more modern phrase.
+
+When the people of Calais saw that they were deserted by their king,
+hope suddenly fled from their hearts. Longer defence meant but deeper
+misery. Nothing remained but surrender. Stout-hearted John de Vienne,
+their commander, seeing that all was at an end, mounted the walls with a
+flag of truce, and made signs that he wished to speak with some person
+of the besieging host. Word of this was brought to the English king, and
+he at once sent Sir Walter de Manny and Sir Basset as his envoys to
+confer with the bearer of the flag. The governor looked down upon them
+from the walls with sadness in his eyes and the lines of starvation on
+his face.
+
+"Sirs," he said, "valiant knights you are, as I well know. As for me, I
+have obeyed the command of the king, my master, by doing all that lay in
+my power to hold for him this town. Now succor has failed us, and food
+we have none. We must all die of famine unless your noble and gentle
+king will have mercy on us, and let us go free, in exchange for the town
+and all the goods it contains, of which there is great abundance."
+
+"We know something of the intention of our master," answered Sir Walter.
+"He will certainly not let you go free, but will require you to
+surrender without conditions, some of you to be held to ransom, others
+to be put to death. Your people have put him to such despite by their
+bitter obstinacy, and caused him such loss of treasure and men, that he
+is sorely grieved against them."
+
+"You make it too hard for us," answered the governor. "We are here a
+small company of knights and squires, who have served our king to our
+own pain and misery, as you would serve yours in like case; but rather
+than let the least lad in the town suffer more than the greatest of us,
+we will endure the last extremity of pain. We beg of you to plead for us
+with your king for pity, and trust that, by God's grace, his purpose
+will change, and his gentleness yield us pardon."
+
+The envoys, much moved by the wasted face and earnest appeal of the
+governor, returned with his message to the king, whom they found in an
+unrelenting mood. He answered them that he would make no other terms.
+The garrison must yield themselves to his pleasure. Sir Walter answered
+with words as wise as they were bold,--
+
+"I beg you to consider this more fully," he said, "for you may be in the
+wrong, and make a dangerous example from which some of us may yet
+suffer. We shall certainly not very gladly go into any fortress of yours
+for defence, if you should put any of the people of this town to death
+after they yield; for in like case the French will certainly deal with
+us in the same fashion."
+
+Others of the lords present sustained Sir Walter in this opinion, and
+presented the case so strongly that the king yielded.
+
+"I will not be alone against you all," he said, after an interval of
+reflection. "This much will I yield. Go, Sir Walter, and say to the
+governor that all the grace I can give him is this. Let him send me six
+of the chief burgesses of the town, who shall come out bareheaded,
+barefooted, and barelegged, clad only in their shirts, and with halters
+around their necks, with the keys of the tower and castle in their
+hands. These must yield themselves fully to my will. The others I will
+take to mercy."
+
+Sir Walter returned with this message, saying that no hope of better
+terms could be had of the king.
+
+"Then I beg you to wait here," said Sir John, "till I can take your
+message to the townsmen, who sent me here, and bring you their reply."
+
+Into the town went the governor, where he sought the market-place, and
+soon the town-bell was ringing its mustering peal. Quickly the people
+gathered, eager, says Jehan le Bel, "to hear their good news, for they
+were all mad with hunger." Sir John told them his message, saying,--
+
+"No other terms are to be had, and you must decide quickly, for our foes
+ask a speedy answer."
+
+His words were followed by weeping and much lamentation among the
+people. Some of them must die. Who should it be? Sir John himself shed
+tears for their extremity. It was not in his heart to name the victims
+to the wrath of the English king.
+
+At length the richest burgess of the town, Eustace de St. Pierre,
+stepped forward and said, in tones of devoted resolution,--
+
+"My friends and fellows, it would be great grief to let you all die by
+famine or otherwise, when there is a means given to save you. Great
+grace would he win from our Lord who could keep this people from dying.
+For myself, I have trust in God that if I save this people by my death I
+shall have pardon for my faults. Therefore, I offer myself as the first
+of the six, and am willing to put myself at the mercy of King Edward."
+
+He was followed by another rich burgess, Jehan D'Aire by name, who said,
+"I will keep company with my gossip Eustace."
+
+Jacques de Wisant and his brother, Peter de Wisant, both rich citizens,
+next offered themselves, and two others quickly made up the tale. Word
+was taken to Sir Walter of what had been done, and the victims
+apparelled themselves as the king had commanded.
+
+It was a sad procession that made its way to the gate of the town. Sir
+John led the way, the devoted six followed, while the remainder of the
+towns-people made their progress woful with tears and cries of grief.
+Months of suffering had not caused them deeper sorrow than to see these
+their brave hostages marching to death.
+
+The gate opened. Sir John and the six burgesses passed through. It
+closed behind them. Sir Walter stood waiting.
+
+"I deliver to you, as captain of Calais," said Sir John, "and by the
+consent of all the people of the town, these six burgesses, who I swear
+to you are the richest and most honorable burgesses of Calais.
+Therefore, gentle knight, I beg you pray the king to have mercy on them,
+and grant them their lives."
+
+"What the king will do I cannot say," answered Sir Walter, "but I shall
+do for them the best I can."
+
+The coming of the hostages roused great feeling in the English host.
+Their pale and wasted faces, their miserable state, the fate which
+threatened them, roused pity and sympathy in the minds of many, and not
+the least in that of the queen, who was with Edward in the camp, and
+came with him and his train of nobles as they approached the place to
+which the hostages had been led.
+
+When they were brought before the king the burgesses kneeled and
+piteously begged his grace, Eustace saying,--
+
+"Gentle king, here be we six, who were burgesses of Calais, and great
+merchants. We bring you the keys of the town and the castle, and submit
+ourselves fully to your will, to save the remainder of our people, who
+have already suffered great pain. We beseech you to have mercy and pity
+on us through your high nobleness."
+
+His words brought tears from many persons there present, for naught so
+piteous had ever come before them. But the king looked on them with
+vindictive eyes, and for some moments stood in lowering silence. Then he
+gave the harsh command to take these men and strike off their heads.
+
+At this cruel sentence the lords of his council crowded round the king,
+begging for compassion, but he turned a deaf ear to their pleadings.
+Sir Walter de Manny then said, his eyes fixed in sorrow on the pale and
+trembling victims,--
+
+"Noble sire, for God's sake restrain your wrath. You have the renown of
+all gentleness and nobility; I pray you do not a thing that can lay a
+blemish on your fair fame, or give men cause to speak of you
+despitefully. Every man will say it is a great cruelty to put to death
+such honest persons, who of their own will have put themselves into your
+hands to save the remainder of their people."
+
+These words seemed rather to heighten than to soften the king's wrath.
+He turned away fiercely, saying,--
+
+"Hold your peace, Master Walter; it shall be as I have said.--Call the
+headsman. They of Calais have made so many of my men to die, that they
+must die themselves."
+
+The queen had listened sadly to these words, while tears flowed freely
+from her gentle eyes. On hearing the harsh decision of her lord and
+king, she could restrain herself no longer. With streaming eyes she cast
+herself on her knees at his feet, and turned up to him her sweet,
+imploring face.
+
+"Gentle sir," she said, "since that day in which I passed over sea in
+great peril, as you know, I have asked no favor from you. Now I pray and
+beseech you with folded hands, in honor of the Son of the Virgin Mary,
+and for the love which you bear me, that you will have mercy on these
+poor men."
+
+The king looked down upon her face, wet with tears, and stood silent for
+a few minutes. At length he spoke.
+
+"Ah, dame, I would you had been in some other place this day. You pray
+so tenderly that I cannot refuse you. Though it is much against my will,
+nevertheless take them, I give them to you to use as you will."
+
+The queen, filled with joy at these words of grace and mercy, returned
+glad thanks to the king, and bade those near her to take the halters
+from the necks of the burgesses and clothe them. Then she saw that a
+good dinner was set before them, and gave each of them six nobles,
+afterwards directing that they should be taken in safety through the
+English army and set at liberty.
+
+Thus ended that memorable siege of Calais, with one of the most dramatic
+incidents which history has to tell. For more than two centuries the
+captured city remained in English hands, being theirs long after they
+had lost all other possessions on the soil of France. At length, in
+1558, in the reign of Queen Mary, it was taken by the French, greatly to
+the chagrin of the queen, who is reported to have said, "When I die, you
+will find the word _Calais_ written on my heart."
+
+
+
+
+_THE BLACK PRINCE AT POITIERS._
+
+
+Through the centre of France marched the Black Prince, with a small but
+valiant army. Into the heart of that fair kingdom had he come, ravaging
+the land as he went, leaving misery and destitution at every step, when
+suddenly across his line of march there appeared an unlooked-for
+obstacle. The plundering marches of the English had roused the French.
+In hosts they had gathered round their king, marched in haste to
+confront the advancing foe, and on the night of Saturday, September 17,
+1356, the English found their line of retreat cut off by what seemed an
+innumerable array of knights and men-at-arms, filling the whole country
+in their front as far as eye could see, closing with a wall of hostile
+steel their only road to safety.
+
+The danger was great. For two years the Black Prince and his army of
+foragers had held France at their mercy, plundering to their hearts'
+content. The year before, the young prince had led his army up the
+Garonne into--as an ancient chronicler tells us--"what was before one of
+the fat countries of the world, the people good and simple, who did not
+know what war was; indeed, no war had been waged against them till the
+prince came. The English and Gascons found the country full and gay,
+the rooms adorned with carpets and draperies, the caskets and chests
+full of fair jewels. But nothing was safe from these robbers. They, and
+especially the Gascons, who are very greedy, carried off everything."
+When they reached Bordeaux their horses were "so laden with spoils that
+they could hardly move."
+
+Again the prince had led his army of freebooters through France, but he
+was not to march out again with the same impunity as before. King John,
+who had just come to the throne, hastily gathered an army and marched to
+his country's relief. On the night named, the Black Prince, marching
+briskly forward with his small force of about eight thousand men, found
+himself suddenly in face of an overwhelming array of not less than sixty
+thousand of the best fighting blood of France.
+
+The case seemed hopeless. Surrender appeared the only resource of the
+English. Just ten years before, at Crecy, Edward III., in like manner
+driven to bay, had with a small force of English put to rout an
+overwhelming body of French. In that affair the Black Prince, then
+little more than a boy, had won the chief honor of the day. But it was
+beyond hope that so great a success could again be attained. It seemed
+madness to join battle with such a disproportion of numbers. Yet the
+prince remembered Crecy, and simply said, on being told how mighty was
+the host of the French,--
+
+"Well, in the name of God, let us now study how we shall fight with them
+at our advantage."
+
+Small as was the English force, it had all the advantages of position.
+In its front were thick and strong hedges. It could be approached only
+by a deep and narrow lane that ran between vineyards. In the rear was
+higher ground, on which the small body of men-at-arms were stationed.
+The bowmen lay behind the hedges and in the vineyards, guarding the lane
+of approach. Here they lay that night, awaiting the fateful morrow.
+
+With the morning's light the French army was drawn up in lines of
+assault. "Then trumpets blew up through the host," says gossipy old
+Froissart, "and every man mounted on horseback and went into the field,
+where they saw the king's banner wave with the wind. There might have
+been seen great nobles of fair harness and rich armory of banners and
+pennons; for there was all the flower of France; there was none durst
+abide at home, without he would be shamed forever."
+
+It was Sunday morning, a suitable day for the church to take part in the
+affair. Those were times in which the part of the church was apt to be
+played with sword and spear, but on this occasion it bore the
+olive-branch. At an early hour the cardinal of Perigord appeared on the
+scene, eager to make peace between the opposing forces. The pope had
+commissioned him to this duty.
+
+"Sir," he said, kneeling before King John, "ye have here all the flower
+of your realm against a handful of Englishmen, as regards your company.
+And, sir, if ye may have them accorded to you without battle, it shall
+be more profitable and honorable than to adventure this noble chivalry.
+I beg you let me, in the name of God and humility, ride to the prince
+and show him in what danger ye have him in."
+
+"That pleases me well," answered the king. "Go; but return again
+shortly."
+
+The cardinal thereupon rode to the English side and accosted the prince,
+whom he found on foot among his men. A courteous greeting passed.
+
+"Fair son," said the envoy of peace, "if you and your council know
+justly the power of the French king, you will suffer me to treat for
+peace between you."
+
+"I would gladly fall to any reasonable way," answered the prince, "if
+but my honor and that of my people be saved."
+
+Some further words passed, and the cardinal rode again to the king.
+
+"Sir," he said, "there seems hope of making peace with your foes, nor
+need you make haste to fight them, for they cannot flee if they would. I
+beg you, therefore, to forbear for this day, and put off the battle till
+to-morrow sunrise. That may give time to conclude a truce."
+
+This advice was not pleasing to the king, who saw no wisdom in delay,
+but the cardinal in the end persuaded him to consent to a day's respite.
+The conference ended, the king's pavilion of red silk was raised, and
+word sent through the army that the men might take their ease, except
+the advanced forces of the constable and marshal.
+
+All that day the cardinal kept himself busy in earnest efforts to effect
+an agreement. Back and forth he rode between the tents of the king and
+the prince, seeking to make terms of peace or surrender. Offer after
+offer was made and refused. The king's main demand was that four of the
+principal Englishmen should be placed in his hands, to deal with as he
+would, and all the others yield themselves prisoners. This the prince
+refused. He would agree to return all the castles and towns he had
+taken, surrender all prisoners, and swear not to bear arms against the
+French for seven years; this and no more he would offer.
+
+King John would listen to no such terms. He had the English at his
+mercy, as he fully believed, and it was for him, not for them, to make
+terms. He would be generous. The prince and a hundred of his knights
+alone should yield themselves prisoners. The rest might go free. Surely
+this was a most favorable offer, pleaded the cardinal. But so thought
+not the Black Prince, who refused it absolutely, and the cardinal
+returned in despair to Poitiers.
+
+That day of respite was not wasted by the prince. What he lacked in men
+he must make up in work. He kept his men busily employed, deepening the
+dikes, strengthening the hedges, making all the preparations that skill
+suggested and time permitted.
+
+The sun rose on Monday morning, and with its first beams the tireless
+peace-maker was again on horse, with the forlorn hope that the bloody
+fray might still be avoided. He found the leaders of the hosts in a
+different temper from that of the day before. The time for words had
+gone; that for blows had come.
+
+"Return whither ye will," was King John's abrupt answer; "bring hither
+no more words of treaty or peace; and if you love yourself depart
+shortly."
+
+To the prince rode the good cardinal, overcome with emotion.
+
+"Sir," he pleaded, "do what you can for peace. Otherwise there is no
+help from battle, for I can find no spirit of accord in the French
+king."
+
+"Nor here," answered the prince, cheerfully. "I and all my people are of
+the same intent,--and God help the right!"
+
+[Illustration: CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME POITIERS.]
+
+The cardinal turned and rode away, sore-hearted with pity. As he went
+the prince turned to his men.
+
+"Though," he said, "we be but a small company as compared with the power
+of our foes, let not that abash us; for victory lies not in the
+multitude of people, but goes where God sends it. If fortune makes the
+day ours, we shall be honored by all the world; but if we die, the king,
+my father, and your good friends and kinsmen shall revenge us.
+Therefore, sirs and comrades, I require you to do your duty this day;
+for if God be pleased, and Saint George aid, this day you shall see me
+a good knight."
+
+The battle began with a charge of three hundred French knights up the
+narrow lane. No sooner had they appeared than the vineyards and hedges
+rained arrows upon them, killing and wounding knights and horses; the
+animals, wild with pain, flinging and trampling their masters; the
+knights, heavy with armor and disabled by wounds, strewing that fatal
+lane with their bodies; while still the storm of steel-pointed shafts
+dealt death in their midst.
+
+The horsemen fell back in dismay, breaking the thick ranks of footmen
+behind them, and spreading confusion wherever they appeared. At this
+critical moment a body of English horse, who were posted on a little
+hill to the right, rushed furiously upon the French flank. At the same
+time the archers poured their arrows upon the crowded and disordered
+mass, and the prince, seeing the state of the enemy, led his men-at-arms
+vigorously upon their broken ranks.
+
+"St. George for Guienne!" was the cry, as the horsemen spurred upon the
+panic-stricken masses of the French.
+
+"Let us push to the French king's station; there lies the heart of the
+battle," said Lord Chandos to the prince. "He is too valiant to fly, I
+fancy. If we fight well, I trust, by the grace of God and St. George, we
+shall have him. You said we should see you this day a good knight."
+
+"You shall not see me turn back," said the prince. "Advance, banner, in
+the name of God and St. George!"
+
+On went the banner; on came the array of fighting knights; into the
+French host they pressed deeper and deeper, King John their goal. The
+field was strewn with dead and dying; panic was spreading in widening
+circles through the French army; the repulsed horsemen were in full
+flight and thousands of those behind them broke and followed. King John
+fought with knightly courage, his son Philip, a boy of sixteen, by his
+side, aiding him by his cries of warning. But nothing could withstand
+the English onset. Some of his defenders fell, others fled; he would
+have fallen himself but for the help of a French knight, in the English
+service.
+
+"Sir, yield you," he called to the king, pressing between him and his
+assailants.
+
+"To whom shall I yield?" asked the king. "Where is my cousin, the prince
+of Wales?"
+
+"He is not here, sir. Yield, and I will bring you to him."
+
+"And who are you?"
+
+"I am Denis of Morbecque, a knight of Artois. I serve the English king,
+for I am banished from France, and all I had has been forfeited."
+
+"Then I yield me to you," said the king, handing him his right gauntlet.
+
+Meanwhile the rout of the French had become complete. On all sides they
+were in flight; on all sides the English were in pursuit. The prince had
+fought until he was overcome with fatigue.
+
+"I see no more banners or pennons of the French," said Sir John Chandos,
+who had kept beside him the day through. "You are sore chafed. Set your
+banner high in this bush, and let us rest."
+
+The prince's pavilion was set up, and drink brought him. As he quaffed
+it, he asked if any one had tidings of the French king.
+
+"He is dead or taken," was the answer. "He has not left the field."
+
+Two knights were thereupon sent to look for him, and had not got far
+before they saw a troop of men-at-arms wearily approaching. In their
+midst was King John, afoot and in peril, for they had taken him from Sir
+Denis, and were quarrelling as to who owned him.
+
+"Strive not about my taking," said the king. "Lead me to the prince. I
+am rich enough to make you all rich."
+
+The brawling went on, however, until the lords who had been sent to seek
+him came near.
+
+"What means all this, good sirs?" they asked. "Why do you quarrel?"
+
+"We have the French king prisoner," was the answer; "and there are more
+than ten knights and squires who claim to have taken him and his son."
+
+The envoys at this bade them halt and cease their clamor, on pain of
+their heads, and taking the king and his son from their midst they
+brought him to the tent of the prince of Wales, where the exalted
+captives were received with all courtesy.
+
+The battle, begun at dawn, was ended by noon. In that time was slain
+"all the flower of France; and there was taken, with the king and the
+Lord Philip his son, seventeen earls, besides barons, knights, and
+squires."
+
+The men returning from the pursuit brought in twice as many prisoners as
+their own army numbered in all. So great was the host of captives that
+many of them were ransomed on the spot, and set free on their word of
+honor to return to Bordeaux with their ransom before Christmas.
+
+The prince and his comrades had breakfasted that morning in dread; they
+supped that night in triumph. The supper party, as described by
+Froissart, is a true picture of the days of chivalry,--in war all
+cruelty, in peace all courtesy; ruthless in the field, gentle and
+ceremonious at the feast. Thus the picturesque old chronicler limns
+it,--
+
+"The prince made the king and his son, the Lord James of Bourbon, the
+Lord John d'Artois, the earl of Tancarville, the Lord d'Estampes, the
+Earl Dammartyn, the earl of Greville, and the earl of Pertney, to sit
+all at one board, and other lords, knights, and squires at other tables;
+and always the prince served before the king as humbly as he could, and
+would not sit at the king's board, for any desire that the king could
+make; but he said he was not sufficient to sit at the table with so
+great a prince as the king was; but then he said to the king, 'Sir, for
+God's sake, make none evil nor heavy cheer, though God did not this day
+consent to follow your will; for, sir, surely the king my father shall
+bear you as much honor and amity as he may do, and shall accord with you
+so reasonably, and ye shall ever be friends together after; and, sir,
+methinks you ought to rejoice, though the journey be not as you would
+have had it; for this day ye have won the high renown of prowess, and
+have passed this day in valiantness all other of your party. Sir, I say
+not this to mock you; for all that be on our party, that saw every man's
+deeds, are plainly accorded by true sentence to give you the prize and
+chaplet."
+
+So ended that great day at Poitiers. It ended miserably enough for
+France, the routed soldiery themselves becoming bandits to ravage her,
+and the people being robbed for ransom till the whole realm was given
+over to misery and woe.
+
+It ended famously for England, another proud chaplet of victory being
+added to the crown of glory of Edward III. and his valiant son, the
+great day at Crecy being matched with as great a day at Poitiers.
+Agincourt was still to come, the three being the most notable instances
+in history of the triumph of a handful of men well led over a great but
+feebly-handled host. The age of knighthood and chivalry reached its
+culmination on these three memorable days. It ended at Agincourt,
+"villanous gunpowder" sounding its requiem on that great field. Cannon,
+indeed, had been used by Edward III. in his wars; but not until after
+this date did firearms banish the spear and bow from the "tented
+field."
+
+
+
+
+_WAT TYLER AND THE MEN OF KENT._
+
+
+In that year of woe and dread, 1348, the Black Death fell upon England.
+Never before had so frightful a calamity been known; never since has it
+been equalled. Men died by millions. All Europe had been swept by the
+plague, as by a besom of destruction, and now England became its prey.
+The population of the island at that period was not great,--some three
+or four millions in all. When the plague had passed more than half of
+these were in their graves, and in many places there were hardly enough
+living to bury the dead.
+
+We call it a calamity. It is not so sure that it was. Life in England at
+that day, for the masses of the people, was not so precious a boon that
+death had need to be sorely deplored. A handful of lords and a host of
+laborers, the latter just above the state of slavery, constituted the
+population. Many of the serfs had been set free, but the new liberty of
+the people was not a state of unadulterated happiness. War had drained
+the land. The luxury of the nobles added to the drain. The patricians
+caroused. The plebeians suffered. The Black Death came. After it had
+passed, labor, for the first time in English history, was master of the
+situation.
+
+Laborers had grown scarce. Many men refused to work. The first general
+strike for higher wages began. In the country, fields were left untilled
+and harvests rotted on the ground. "The sheep and cattle strayed through
+the fields and corn, and there were none left who could drive them." In
+the towns, craftsmen refused to work at the old rate of wages. Higher
+wages were paid, but the scarcity of food made higher prices, and men
+were little better off. Many laborers, indeed, declined to work at all,
+becoming tramps,--what were known as "sturdy beggars,"--or haunting the
+forests as bandits.
+
+The king and parliament sought to put an end to this state of affairs by
+law. An ordinance was passed whose effect would have made slaves of the
+people. Every man under sixty, not a land-owner or already at work (says
+this famous act), must work for the employer who demands his labor, and
+for the rate of wages that prevailed two years before the plague. The
+man who refused should be thrown into prison. This law failed to work,
+and sterner measures were passed. The laborer was once more made a serf,
+bound to the soil, his wage-rate fixed by parliament. Law after law
+followed, branding with a hot iron on the forehead being finally ordered
+as a restraint to runaway laborers. It was the first great effort made
+by the class in power to put down an industrial revolt.
+
+The peasantry and the mechanics of the towns resisted. The poor found
+their mouth-piece in John Ball, "a mad priest of Kent," as Froissart
+calls him. Mad his words must have seemed to the nobles of the land.
+"Good people," he declared, "things will never go well in England so
+long as goods be not in common, and so long as there be villains and
+gentlemen. By what right are they whom we call lords greater folk than
+we? On what grounds have they deserved it? Why do they hold us in
+serfage? If we all came of the same father and mother, of Adam and Eve,
+how can they say or prove that they are better than we, if it be not
+that they make us gain for them by our toil what they spend in their
+pride? They are clothed in velvet, and warm in their furs and their
+ermines, while we are covered with rags. They have wine and spices and
+fair bread; and we have oat-cake and straw, and water to drink. They
+have leisure and fine houses; we have pain and labor, the rain and the
+wind in the fields. And yet it is of us and of our toil that these men
+hold their state."
+
+So spoke this early socialist. So spoke his hearers in the popular rhyme
+of the day:
+
+  "When Adam delved and Eve span,
+  Who was then the gentleman?"
+
+So things went on for years, growing worse year by year, the fire of
+discontent smouldering, ready at a moment to burst into flame.
+
+At length the occasion came. Edward the Third died, but he left an ugly
+heritage of debt behind him. His useless wars in France had beggared
+the crown. New money must be raised. Parliament laid a poll-tax on every
+person in the realm, the poorest to pay as much as the wealthiest.
+
+Here was an application of the doctrine of equality of which the people
+did not approve. The land was quickly on fire from sea to sea. Crowds of
+peasants gathered and drove the tax-gatherers with clubs from their
+homes. Rude rhymes passed from lip to lip, full of the spirit of revolt.
+All over southern England spread the sentiment of rebellion.
+
+The incident which set flame to the fuel was this. At Dartford, in Kent,
+lived one Wat Tyler, a hardy soldier who had served in the French wars.
+To his house, in his absence, came a tax-collector, and demanded the tax
+on his daughter. The mother declared that she was not taxable, being
+under fourteen years of age. The collector thereupon seized the child in
+an insulting manner, so frightening her that her screams reached the
+ears of her father, who was at work not far off. Wat flew to the spot,
+struck one blow, and the villanous collector lay dead at his feet.
+
+Within an hour the people of the town were in arms. As the story spread
+through the country, the people elsewhere rose and put themselves under
+the leadership of Wat Tyler. In Essex was another party in arms, under a
+priest called Jack Straw. Canterbury rose in rebellion, plundered the
+palace of the archbishop, and released John Ball from the prison to
+which this "mad" socialist had been consigned. The revolt spread like
+wildfire. County after county rose in insurrection. But the heart of the
+rebellion lay in Kent, and from that county marched a hundred thousand
+men, with Wat Tyler at their head, London their goal.
+
+To Blackheath they came, the multitude swelling as it marched. Every
+lawyer they met was killed. The houses of the stewards were burned, and
+the records of the manor courts flung into the flames. A wild desire for
+liberty and equality animated the mob, yet they did no further harm. All
+travellers were stopped and made to swear that they would be true to
+King Richard and the people. The king's mother fell into their hands,
+but all the harm done her was the being made to kiss a few rough-bearded
+men who vowed loyalty to her son.
+
+The young king--then a boy of sixteen--addressed them from a boat in the
+river. But his council would not let him land, and the peasants, furious
+at his distrust, rushed upon London, uttering cries of "Treason!" The
+drawbridge of London Bridge had been raised, but the insurgents had
+friends in the city who lowered it, and quickly the capital was swarming
+with Wat Tyler's infuriated men.
+
+Soon the prisons were broken open, and their inmates had joined the
+insurgent ranks. The palace of the Duke of Lancaster, the Savoy, the
+most beautiful in England, was quickly in flames. That nobleman,
+detested by the people, had fled in all haste to Scotland. The Temple,
+the head-quarters of the lawyers, was set on fire, and its books and
+documents reduced to ashes. The houses of the foreign merchants were
+burned. There was "method in the madness" of the insurgents. They sought
+no indiscriminate ruin. The lawyers and the foreigners were their
+special detestation. Robbery was not permitted. One thief was seen with
+a silver vessel which he had stolen from the Savoy. He and his plunder
+were flung together into the flames. They were, as they boasted,
+"seekers of truth and justice, not thieves or robbers."
+
+Thus passed the first day of the peasant occupation of London, the
+people of the town in terror, the insurgents in subjection to their
+leaders, and still more so to their own ideas. Many of them were drunk,
+but no outrages were committed. The influence of one terrible example
+repressed all theft. Never had so orderly a mob held possession of so
+great a city.
+
+On the second day, Wat Tyler and a band of his followers forced their
+way into the Tower. The knights of the garrison were panic-stricken, but
+no harm was done them. The peasants, in rough good humor, took them by
+the beards, and declared that they were now equals, and that in the time
+to come they would be good friends and comrades.
+
+[Illustration: WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE.  Copyright, 1904, by Henry Froth.]
+
+But this rude jollity ceased when Archbishop Sudbury, who had been
+active in preventing the king from landing from the Thames, and the
+ministers who were concerned in the levy of the poll-tax, fell into
+their hands. Short shrift was given these detested officials. They were
+dragged to Tower Hill, and their heads struck off.
+
+"King Richard and the people!" was the rallying cry of the insurgents.
+It went ill with those who hesitated to subscribe to this sentiment. So
+evidently were the peasants friendly to the king that the youthful
+monarch fearlessly sought them at Mile End, and held a conference with
+sixty thousand of them who lay there encamped.
+
+"I am your king and lord, good people," he boldly addressed them; "what
+will ye?"
+
+"We will that you set us free forever," was the answer of the
+insurgents, "us and our lands; and that we be never named nor held for
+serfs."
+
+"I grant it," said the king.
+
+His words were received with shouts of joy. The conference then
+continued, the leaders of the peasants proposing four conditions, to all
+of which the king assented. These were, first, that neither they nor
+their descendants should ever be enslaved; second, that the rent of land
+should be paid in money at a fixed price, not in service; third, that
+they should be at liberty to buy and sell in market and elsewhere, like
+other free men; fourth, that they should be pardoned for past offences.
+
+"I grant them all," said Richard. "Charters of freedom and pardon shall
+be at once issued. Go home and dwell in peace, and no harm shall come to
+you."
+
+More than thirty clerks spent the rest of that day writing at all speed
+the pledges of amnesty promised by the king. These satisfied the bulk of
+the insurgents, who quietly left for their homes, placing all
+confidence in the smooth promises of the youthful monarch.
+
+Some interesting scenes followed their return. The gates of the Abbey of
+St. Albans were forced open, and a throng of townsmen crowded in, led by
+one William Grindcobbe, who compelled the abbot to deliver up the
+charters which held the town in serfage to the abbey. Then they burst
+into the cloister, sought the millstones which the courts had declared
+should alone grind corn at St. Albans, and broke them into small pieces.
+These were distributed among the peasants as visible emblems of their
+new-gained freedom.
+
+Meanwhile, Wat Tyler had remained in London, with thirty thousand men at
+his back, to see that the kingly pledge was fulfilled. He had not been
+at Mile End during the conference with the king, and was not satisfied
+with the demands of the peasants. He asked, in addition, that the forest
+laws should be abolished, and the woods made free.
+
+The next day came. Chance brought about a meeting between Wat and the
+king, and hot blood made it a tragedy. King Richard was riding with a
+train of some sixty gentlemen, among them William Walworth, the mayor of
+London, when, by ill hap, they came into contact with Wat and his
+followers.
+
+"There is the king," said Wat. "I will go speak with him, and tell him
+what we want."
+
+The bold leader of the peasants rode forward and confronted the monarch,
+who drew rein and waited to hear what he had to say.
+
+"King Richard," said Wat, "dost thou see all my men there?"
+
+"Ay," said the king. "Why?"
+
+"Because," said Wat, "they are all at my command, and have sworn to do
+whatever I bid them."
+
+What followed is not very clear. Some say that Wat laid his hand on the
+king's bridle, others that he fingered his dagger threateningly.
+Whatever the provocation, Walworth, the mayor, at that instant pressed
+forward, sword in hand, and stabbed the unprotected man in the throat
+before he could make a movement of defence. As he turned to rejoin his
+men he was struck a death-blow by one of the king's followers.
+
+This rash action was one full of danger. Only the ready wit and courage
+of the king saved the lives of his followers,--perhaps of himself.
+
+"Kill! kill!" cried the furious peasants, "they have killed our
+captain."
+
+Bows were bent, swords drawn, an ominous movement begun. The moment was
+a critical one. The young king proved himself equal to the occasion.
+Spurring his horse, he rode boldly to the front of the mob.
+
+"What need ye, my masters?" he cried. "That man is a traitor. I am your
+captain and your king. Follow me!"
+
+His words touched their hearts. With loud shouts of loyalty they
+followed him to the Tower, where he was met by his mother with tears of
+joy.
+
+"Rejoice and praise God," the young king said to her; "for I have
+recovered to-day my heritage which was lost, and the realm of England."
+
+It was true; the revolt was at an end. The frightened nobles had
+regained their courage, and six thousand knights were soon at the
+service of the king, pressing him to let them end the rebellion with
+sword and spear.
+
+He refused. His word had been passed, and he would live to it--at least,
+until the danger was passed. The peasants still in London received their
+charters of freedom and dispersed to their homes. The city was freed of
+the low-born multitude who had held it in mortal terror.
+
+Yet all was not over. Many of the peasants were still in arms. Those of
+St. Albans were emulated by those of St. Edmondsbury, where fifty
+thousand men broke their way into the abbey precincts, and forced the
+monks to grant a charter of freedom to the town. In Norwich a dyer,
+Littester by name, calling himself the King of the Commons, forced the
+nobles captured by his followers to act as his meat-tasters, and serve
+him on their knees during his repasts. His reign did not last long. The
+Bishop of Norwich, with a following of knights and men-at-arms, fell on
+his camp and made short work of his majesty.
+
+The king, soon forgetting his pledges, led an army of forty thousand men
+through Kent and Essex, and ruthlessly executed the peasant leaders.
+Some fifteen hundred of them were put to death. The peasants resisted
+stubbornly, but they were put down. The jurors refused to bring the
+prisoners in guilty, until they were threatened with execution
+themselves. The king and council, in the end, seemed willing to
+compromise with the peasantry, but the land-owners refused compliance.
+Their serfs were their property, they said, and could not be taken from
+them by king or parliament without their consent. "And this consent,"
+they declared, "we have never given and never will give, were we all to
+die in one day."
+
+Yet the revolt of the peasantry was not without its useful effect. From
+that time serfdom died rapidly. Wages continued to rise. A century after
+the Black Death, a laborer's work in England "commanded twice the amount
+of the necessaries of life which could have been obtained for the wages
+paid under Edward the Third." In a century and a half serfdom had almost
+vanished.
+
+Thus ended the greatest peasant outbreak that England ever knew. The
+outbreak of Jack Cade, which took place seventy years afterwards, was
+for political rather than industrial reform. During those seventy years
+the condition of the working-classes had greatly improved, and the
+occasion for industrial revolt correspondingly decreased.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WHITE ROSE OF ENGLAND._
+
+
+The wars of the White and the Red Roses were at an end, Lancaster had
+triumphed over York, Richard III., the last of the Plantagenets, had
+died on Bosworth field, and the Red Rose candidate, Henry VII., was on
+the throne. It seemed fitting, indeed, that the party of the red should
+bear the banners of triumph, for the frightful war of white and red had
+deluged England with blood, and turned to crimson the green of many a
+fair field. Two of the White Rose claimants of the throne, the sons of
+Edward IV., had been imprisoned by Richard III. in the Tower of London,
+and, so said common report, had been strangled in their beds. But their
+fate was hidden in mystery, and there were those who believed that the
+princes of the Tower still lived.
+
+One claimant to the throne, a scion of the White Rose kings, Edward,
+Earl of Warwick, was still locked up in the Tower, so closely kept from
+human sight and knowledge as to leave the field open to the claims of
+imposture. For suddenly a handsome youth appeared in Ireland declaring
+that he was the Earl of Warwick, escaped from the Tower, and asking aid
+to help him regain the throne, which he claimed as rightfully his. The
+story of this boy is a short one; the end of his career fortunately a
+comedy instead of a tragedy. In Ireland were many adherents of the house
+of York. The story of the handsome lad was believed; he was crowned at
+Dublin,--the crown being taken from the head of a statue of the Virgin
+Mary,--and was then carried home on the shoulders of a gigantic Irish
+chieftain, as was the custom in green Erin in those days.
+
+The youthful claimant had entered Ireland with a following of two
+thousand German soldiers, provided by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy,
+sister of Edward IV., who hated Henry VII. and all the party of
+Lancaster with an undying hatred. From Ireland he invaded England, with
+an Irish following added to his German. His small army was met by the
+king with an overpowering force, half of it killed, the rest scattered,
+and the young imposter taken captive.
+
+Henry was almost the first king of Norman England who was not cruel by
+instinct. He could be cruel enough by calculation, but he was not
+disposed to take life for the mere pleasure of killing. He knew this boy
+to be an impostor, since Edward, Earl of Warwick, was still in the
+Tower. The astute king deemed it wiser to make him a laughing-stock than
+a martyr. He made inquiry as to his origin. The boy proved to be the son
+of a baker of Oxford, his true name Lambert Simnel. He had been tutored
+to play the prince by an ambitious priest named Simons. This priest was
+shut up in prison, and died there. As for his pupil, the king
+contemptuously sent him into his kitchen, and condemned him to the
+servile office of turnspit. Afterwards, as young Simnel showed some
+intelligence and loyalty, he was made one of the king's falconers. And
+so ended the story of this sham Plantagenet.
+
+[Illustration: BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES.]
+
+Hardly had this ambitious boy been set to the humble work of turning a
+spit in the king's kitchen, when a new claimant of the crown
+appeared,--a far more dangerous one. It is his story to which that of
+Lambert Simnel serves as an amusing prelude.
+
+On one fine day in the year 1492--Columbus being then on his way to the
+discovery of America--there landed at Cork, in a vessel hailing from
+Portugal, a young man very handsome in face, and very winning in
+manners, who lost no time in presenting himself to some of the leading
+Irish and telling them that he was Richard, Duke of York, the second son
+of Edward IV. This story some of his hearers were not ready to believe.
+They had just passed through an experience of the same kind.
+
+"That cannot be," they said: "the sons of King Edward were murdered by
+their uncle in the Tower."
+
+"People think so, I admit," said the young stranger. "My brother _was_
+murdered there, foully killed in that dark prison. But I escaped, and
+for seven years have been wandering."
+
+The boy had an easy and engaging manner, a fluent tongue, and told so
+well-devised and probable a story of the manner of his escape, that he
+had little difficulty in persuading his credulous hearers that he was
+indeed Prince Richard. Soon he had a party at his back, Cork shouted
+itself hoarse in his favor, there was banqueting and drinking, and in
+this humble fashion the cause of the White Rose was resuscitated, the
+banners of York were again flung to the winds.
+
+We have begun our story in the middle. We must go back to its beginning.
+Margaret of Burgundy, whose hatred for the Lancastrian king was intense,
+had spread far and wide the rumor that Richard, Duke of York, was still
+alive. The story was that the villains employed by Richard III. to
+murder the princes in the Tower, had killed the elder only. Remorse had
+stricken their hardened souls, and compassion induced them to spare the
+younger, and privately to set him at liberty, he being bidden on peril
+of life not to divulge who he really was. This seed well sown, the
+astute duchess laid her plans to bring it to fruitage. A handsome youth
+was brought into her presence, a quick-witted, intelligent, crafty lad,
+with nimble tongue and unusually taking manners. Such, at least, was the
+story set afloat by Henry VII., which goes on to say that the duchess
+kept her protege concealed until she had taught him thoroughly the whole
+story of the murdered prince, instructed him in behavior suitable to his
+assumed birth, and filled his memory with details of the boy's life and
+certain secrets he would be likely to know, while advising him how to
+avoid certain awkward questions that might be asked. The boy was quick
+to learn his lesson, the hope of becoming king of England inciting his
+naturally keen wit. This done, the duchess sent him privately to
+Portugal, knowing well that if his advent could be traced to her house
+suspicion would be aroused.
+
+This is the narrative that has been transmitted to us, but it is one
+which, it must be acknowledged, has come through suspicious channels, as
+will appear in the sequel. But whatever be the facts, it is certain that
+about this time Henry VII. declared war against France, and that the war
+had not made much progress before the youth described sailed from
+Portugal and landed in Cork, where he claimed to be Richard, Duke of
+York, and the true heir of the English throne.
+
+And now began a most romantic and adventurous career. The story of the
+advent of a prince of the house of York in Ireland made its way through
+England and France. Henry VII. was just then too busy with his French
+war to attend to his new rival; but Charles VIII. of France saw here an
+opportunity of annoying his enemy. He accordingly sent envoys to Cork,
+with an invitation to the youth to seek his court, where he would be
+acknowledged as the true heir to the royal crown of England.
+
+The astute young man lost no time in accepting the invitation. Charles
+received him with as much honor as though he were indeed a king,
+appointed him a body-guard, and spread far and wide the statement that
+the Duke of York, the rightful heir of the English crown, was at his
+court, and that he would sustain his claim. What might have come of
+this, had the war continued, we cannot say. A number of noble
+Englishmen, friends of York, made their way to Paris, and became
+believers in the story of the young adventurer. But the hopes of the
+aspirant in this quarter came to an end with the ending of the war.
+Charles's secret purpose had been to force Henry to conclude a peace,
+and in this he succeeded. He had now no further use for his young
+protege. He had sufficient honor not to deliver him into Henry's hands,
+as he was asked to do; but he set him adrift from his own court, bidding
+him to seek his fortune elsewhere.
+
+From France the young aspirant made his way into Flanders, and presented
+himself at the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, with every appearance
+of never having been there before. He sought her, he said, as his aunt.
+The duchess received him with an air of doubt and suspicion. He was, she
+acknowledged, the image of her dear departed brother, but more evidence
+was needed. She questioned him, therefore, closely, before the members
+of her court, making searching inquiries into his earlier life and
+recollections. These he answered so satisfactorily that the duchess
+declared herself transported with astonishment and joy, and vowed that
+he was indeed her nephew, miraculously delivered from prison, brought
+from death to life, wonderfully preserved by destiny for some great
+fortune. She was not alone in this belief. All who heard his answers
+agreed with her, many of them borne away by his grace of person and
+manner and the fascination of his address. The duchess declared his
+identity beyond doubt, did him honor as a born prince, gave him a
+body-guard of thirty halberdiers, who were clad in a livery of murrey
+and blue, and called him by the taking title of the "White Rose of
+England." He seemed, indeed, like one risen from the grave to set afloat
+once more the banners of the White Rose of York.
+
+The tidings of what was doing in Flanders quickly reached England, where
+a party in favor of the aspirant's pretensions slowly grew up. Several
+noblemen joined it, discontent having been caused by certain unpopular
+acts of the king. Sir Robert Clifford sailed to Flanders, visited
+Margaret's court, and wrote back to England that there was no doubt that
+the young man was the Duke of York, whose person he knew as he knew his
+own.
+
+While these events were fomenting, secretly and openly, King Henry was
+at work, secretly and openly, to disconcert his foes. He set a guard
+upon the English ports, that no suspicious person should enter or leave
+the kingdom, and then put his wits to task to prove the falsity of the
+whole neatly-wrought tale. Two of those concerned in the murder of the
+princes were still alive,--Sir James Tirrel and John Dighton. Sir James
+claimed to have stood at the stair-foot, while Dighton and another did
+the murder, smothering the princes in their bed. To this they both
+testified, though the king, for reasons unexplained, did not publish
+their testimony.
+
+Henry also sent spies abroad, to search into the truth concerning the
+assumed adventurer. These, being well supplied with money, and bidden to
+trace every movement of the youth, at length declared that they had
+discovered that he was the son of a Flemish merchant, of the city of
+Tournay, his name Perkin Warbeck, his knowledge of the language and
+manners of England having been derived from the English traders in
+Flanders. This information, with much to support it, was set afloat in
+England, and the king then demanded of the Archduke Philip, sovereign of
+Burgundy, that he should give up this pretender, or banish him from his
+court. Philip replied that Burgundy was the domain of the duchess, who
+was mistress in her own land. In revenge, Henry closed all commercial
+communication between the two countries, taking from Antwerp its
+profitable market in English cloth.
+
+Now tragedy followed comedy. Sir Robert Clifford, who had declared the
+boy to be undoubtedly the Duke of York, suffered the king to convince
+him that he was mistaken, and denounced several noblemen as being
+secretly friends to Perkin Warbeck. These were arrested, and three of
+them beheaded, one of them, Sir William Stanley, having saved Henry's
+life on Bosworth Field. But he was rich, and a seizure of his estate
+would swell the royal coffers. With Henry VII. gold weighed heavier than
+gratitude.
+
+For three years all was quiet. Perkin Warbeck kept his princely state at
+the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, and the merchants of Flanders
+suffered heavily from the closure of the trade of Antwerp. This grew
+intolerable. The people were indignant. Something must be done. The
+pretended prince must leave Flanders, or he ran risk of being killed by
+its inhabitants.
+
+The adventurous youth was thus obliged to leave his refuge at Margaret's
+court, and now entered upon a more active career. Accompanied by a few
+hundred men, he sailed from Flanders and landed on the English coast at
+Deal. He hoped for a rising in his behalf. On the contrary, the
+country-people rose against him, killed many of his followers, and took
+a hundred and fifty prisoners. These were all hanged, by order of the
+king, along the sea-shore, as a warning to any others who might wish to
+invade England.
+
+Flanders was closed against the pretender. Ireland was similarly closed,
+for Henry had gained the Irish to his side. Scotland remained, there
+being hostility between the English and Scottish kings. Hither the
+fugitive made his way. James IV. of Scotland gave him a most encouraging
+reception, called him cousin, and in a short time married him to one of
+the most beautiful and charming ladies of his court, Lady Catharine
+Gordon, a relative of the royal house of the Stuarts.
+
+For a time now the fortunes of the young aspirant improved. Henry,
+alarmed at his progress, sought by bribery of the Scottish lords to have
+him delivered into his hands. In this he failed; James was faithful to
+his word. Soon Perkin had a small army at his back. The Duchess of
+Burgundy provided him with men, money, and arms, till in a short time he
+had fifteen hundred good soldiers under his command.
+
+With these, and with the aid of King James of Scotland, who reinforced
+his army and accompanied him in person, he crossed the border into
+England, and issued a proclamation, calling himself King Richard the
+Fourth, and offering large rewards to any one who should take or
+distress Henry Tudor, as he called the king.
+
+Unluckily for the young invader, the people of England had had enough of
+civil war. White Rose or Red Rose had become of less importance to them
+than peace and prosperity. They refused to rise in his support, and
+quickly grew to hate his soldiers, who, being of different nations, most
+of them brigandish soldiers of fortune, began by quarrelling with one
+another, and ended by plundering the country.
+
+"This is shameful," said Perkin. "I am not here to distress the English
+people. Rather than fill the country with misery, I will lose my
+rights."
+
+King James laughed at his scruples, giving him to understand that no
+true king would stop for such a trifle. But Perkin was resolute, and
+the army marched back again into Scotland without fighting a battle.
+The White Rose had shown himself unfit for kingship in those days. He
+was so weak as to have compassion for the people, if that was the true
+cause of his retreat.
+
+This invasion had one unlooked-for result. The people had been heavily
+taxed by Henry, in preparation for the expected war. In consequence the
+men of Cornwall rose in rebellion. With Flammock, a lawyer, and Joseph,
+a blacksmith, at their head, they marched eastward through England until
+within sight of London, being joined by Lord Audley and some other
+country gentlemen on their route. The king met and defeated them, though
+they fought fiercely. Lord Audley was beheaded, Flammock and Joseph were
+hanged, the rest were pardoned. And so ended this threatening
+insurrection.
+
+It was of no advantage to the wandering White Rose. He soon had to leave
+Scotland, peace having been made between the two kings. James, like
+Charles VIII. before him, was honorable and would not give him up, but
+required him to leave his kingdom. Perkin and his beautiful wife, who
+clung to him with true love, set sail for Ireland. For a third time he
+had been driven from shelter.
+
+In Ireland he found no support. The people had become friendly to the
+king, and would have nothing to do with the wandering White Rose. As a
+forlorn hope, he sailed for Cornwall, trusting that the stout Cornish
+men, who had just struck so fierce a blow for their rights, might
+gather to his support. With him went his wife, clinging with unyielding
+faith and love to his waning fortunes.
+
+He landed at Whitsand Bay, on the coast of Cornwall, issued a
+proclamation under the title of Richard the Fourth of England, and
+quickly found himself in command of a small army of Cornishmen. His wife
+he left in the castle of St. Michael's Mount, as a place of safety, and
+at the head of three thousand men marched into Devonshire. By the time
+he reached Exeter he had six thousand men under his command. They
+besieged Exeter, but learning that the king was on the march, they
+raised the siege, and advanced until Taunton was reached, when they
+found themselves in front of the king's army.
+
+The Cornishmen were brave and ready. They were poorly armed and
+outnumbered, but battle was their only thought. Such was not the thought
+of their leader. For the first time in his career he found himself face
+to face with a hostile army. He could plot, could win friends by his
+engaging manners, could do anything but fight. But now that the critical
+moment had come he found that he lacked courage. Perhaps this had as
+much as compassion to do with his former retreat to Scotland. It is
+certain that the sight of grim faces and brandished arms before him
+robbed his heart of its bravery. Mounting a swift horse, he fled in the
+night, followed by about threescore others. In the morning his men found
+themselves without a leader. Having nothing to fight for, they
+surrendered. Some few of the more desperate of them were hanged. The
+others were pardoned and permitted to return.
+
+No sooner was the discovery made that the White Rose had taken to the
+winds than horsemen were sent in speedy pursuit, one troop being sent to
+St. Michael's Mount to seize the Lady Catharine, and a second troop of
+five hundred horse to pursue the fugitive pretender, and take him, if
+possible, before he could reach the sanctuary of Beaulieu, in the New
+Forest, whither he had fled. The lady was quickly brought before the
+king. Whether or not he meant to deal harshly with her, the sight of her
+engaging face moved him to compassion and admiration. She was so
+beautiful, bore so high a reputation for goodness, and was so lovingly
+devoted to her husband, that the king was disarmed of any ill purposes
+he may have entertained, and treated her with the highest respect and
+consideration. In the end he gave her an allowance suitable to her rank,
+placed her at court near the queen's person, and continued her friend
+during life. Years after, when the story of Perkin Warbeck had almost
+become a nursery-tale, the Lady Catharine was still called by the people
+the "White Rose," as a tribute to her beauty and her romantic history.
+
+As regards the fugitive and his followers, they succeeded in reaching
+Beaulieu and taking sanctuary. The pursuers, who had failed to overtake
+them, could only surround the sanctuary and wait orders from the king.
+The astute Henry pursued his usual course, employing policy instead of
+force. Perkin was coaxed out of his retreat, on promise of good
+treatment if he should surrender, and was brought up to London, guarded,
+but not bound. Henry, who was curious to see him, contrived to do so
+from a window, screening himself while closely observing his rival.
+
+London reached, the cavalcade became a procession, the captive being led
+through the principal streets for the edification of the populace,
+before being taken to the Tower. The king had little reason to fear him.
+The pretended prince, who had run away from his army, was not likely to
+obtain new adherents. Scorn and contempt were the only manifestations of
+popular opinion.
+
+So little, indeed, did Henry dread this aspirant to the throne, that he
+was quickly released from the Tower and brought to Westminster, where he
+was treated as a gentleman, being examined from time to time regarding
+his imposture. Such parts of his confession as the king saw fit to
+divulge were printed and spread through the country, but were of a
+nature not likely to settle the difficulty. "Men missing of that they
+looked for, looked about for they knew not what, and were more in doubt
+than before, but the king chose rather not to satisfy, than to kindle
+coals."
+
+Perkin soon brought the king's complaisance to an end. His mercurial
+disposition counselled flight, and, deceiving his guards, he slipped
+from the palace and fled to the sea-shore. Here he found all avenues of
+escape closed, and so diligent was the pursuit that he quickly turned
+back, and again took sanctuary in Bethlehem priory, near Richmond. The
+prior came to the king and offered to deliver him up, asking for his
+life only. His escapade had roused anger in the court.
+
+"Take the rogue and hang him forthwith," was the hot advice of the
+king's council.
+
+"The silly boy is not worth a rope," answered the king. "Take the knave
+and set him in the stocks. Let the people see what sort of a prince this
+is."
+
+Life being promised, the prior brought forth his charge, and a few days
+after Perkin was set in the stocks for a whole day, in the palace-court
+at Westminster. The next day he was served in the same manner at
+Cheapside, in both places being forced to read a paper which purported
+to be a true and full confession of his imposture. From Cheapside he was
+taken to the Tower, having exhausted the mercy of the king.
+
+In the Tower he was placed in the company of the Earl of Warwick, the
+last of the acknowledged Plantagenets, who had been in this gloomy
+prison for fourteen years. It is suspected that the king had a dark
+purpose in this. To the one he had promised life; the other he had no
+satisfactory reason to remove; possibly he fancied that the uneasy
+temper of Perkin would give him an excuse for the execution of both.
+
+If such was his scheme, it worked well. Perkin had not been long in the
+Tower before the quick-silver of his nature began to declare itself. His
+insinuating address gained him the favor of his keepers, whom he soon
+began to offer lofty bribes to aid his escape. Into this plot he managed
+to draw the young earl. The plan devised was that the four keepers
+should murder the lieutenant of the Tower in the night, seize the keys
+and such money as they could find, and let out Perkin and the earl.
+
+It may be that the king himself had arranged this plot, and instructed
+the keepers in their parts. Certainly it was quickly divulged. And by
+strange chance, just at this period a third pretender appeared, this
+time a shoemaker's son, who, like the baker's son, pretended to be the
+Earl of Warwick. His name was Ralph Wilford. He had been taught his part
+by a priest named Patrick. They came from Suffolk and advanced into
+Kent, where the priest took to the pulpit to advocate the claims of his
+charge. Both were quickly taken, the youth executed, the priest
+imprisoned for life.
+
+And now Henry doubtless deemed that matters of this kind had gone far
+enough. The earl and his fellow-prisoner were indicted for conspiracy,
+tried and found guilty, the earl beheaded on Tower Hill, and Perkin
+Warbeck hanged at Tyburn. This was in the year 1499. It formed a
+dramatic end to the history of the fifteenth century, being the closing
+event in the wars of the White and the Red Roses, the death of the last
+Plantagenet and of the last White Rose aspirant to the throne.
+
+In conclusion, the question may be asked, Who was Perkin Warbeck? All we
+know of him is the story set afloat by Henry VII., made up of accounts
+told by his spies and a confession wrested from a boy threatened with
+death. That he was taught his part by Margaret of Burgundy we have only
+this evidence for warrant. He was publicly acknowledged by this lady,
+the sister of Edward IV., was married by James of Scotland to a lady of
+royal blood, was favorably received by many English lords, and was
+widely believed, in view of the mystery surrounding the fate of the
+princes, to be truly the princely person he declared himself. However
+that be, his story is a highly romantic one, and forms a picturesque
+closing scene to the long drama of the Wars of the Roses.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD._
+
+
+It was the day fixed for the opening of the most brilliant pageant known
+to modern history. On the green space in front of the dilapidated castle
+of Guisnes, on the soil of France, but within what was known as the
+English pale, stood a summer palace of the amplest proportions and the
+most gorgeous decorations, which was furnished within with all that
+comfort demanded and art and luxury could provide. Let us briefly
+describe this magnificent palace, which had been prepared for the
+temporary residence of the English king.
+
+The building was of wood, square in shape, each side being three hundred
+and twenty-eight feet long. On every side were oriel-windows and
+curiously glazed clerestories, whose mullions and posts were overlaid
+with gold. In front of the grand entrance stood an embattled gate-way,
+having on each side statues of warriors in martial attitudes. From the
+gate to the palace sloped upward a long passage, flanked with images in
+bright armor and presenting "sore and terrible countenances." This led
+to an embowered landing-place, where, facing the great doors, stood
+antique figures girt with olive-branches.
+
+Interiorly the palace halls and chambers were superbly decorated, white
+silk forming the ceilings of the passages and galleries, from which
+depended silken hangings of various colors and braided cloths, "which
+showed like bullions of fine braided gold." Roses set in lozenges, on a
+golden ground-work, formed the chamber ceilings. The wall spaces were
+decorated with richly carved and gilt panels, while embroidered silk
+tapestry hung from the windows and formed the walls of the corridors. In
+the state apartments the furniture was of princely richness, the whole
+domains of art and industry having been ransacked to provide their most
+splendid belongings. Exteriorly the building presented an equally ornate
+appearance, glass, gold-work, and ornamental hangings quite concealing
+the carpentry, so that "every quarter of it, even the least, was a
+habitation fit for a prince."
+
+To what end, in the now far-away year of 1520, and in that rural
+locality, under the shadows of a castle which had fallen into
+irredeemable ruin, had such an edifice been built,--one which only the
+revenues of a kingdom, in that day, could have erected? Its purpose was
+a worthy one. France and England, whose intercourse for centuries had
+been one of war, were now to meet in peace. Crecy and Agincourt had been
+the last meeting-places of the monarchs of these kingdoms, and death and
+ruin had followed their encounters. Now Henry the Eighth of England and
+Francis the First of France were to meet in peace and amity, spending
+the revenues of their kingdoms not for armor of linked mail and
+death-dealing weapons, but for splendid attire and richest pageantry, in
+token of friendship and fraternity between the two realms.
+
+A century had greatly changed the relations of England and France. In
+1420 Henry V. had recently won the great victory of Agincourt, and
+France lay almost prostrate at his feet. In 1520 the English possessions
+in France were confined to the seaport of Calais and a small district
+around it known as the "English pale." The castle of Guisnes stood just
+within the English border, the meeting between the two monarchs being
+fixed at the line of separation of the two kingdoms.
+
+The palace we have described, erected for the habitation of King Henry
+and his suite, had been designed and ordered by Cardinal Wolsey, to
+whose skill in pageantry the management of this great festival had been
+consigned. Extensive were the preparations alike in England and in
+France. All that the island kingdom could furnish of splendor and riches
+was provided, not alone for the adornment of the king and his guard, but
+for the host of nobles and the multitude of persons of minor estate, who
+came in his train, the whole following of the king being nearly four
+thousand persons, while more than a thousand formed the escort of the
+queen. For the use of this great company had been brought nearly four
+thousand richly-caparisoned horses, with vast quantities of the other
+essentials of human comfort and regal display.
+
+While England had been thus busy in preparing for the pageant, France
+had been no less active. Arde, a town near the English pale, had been
+selected as the dwelling-place of Francis and his train. As for the
+splendor of adornment of those who followed him, there seems to have
+been almost nothing worn but silks, velvets, cloth of gold and silver,
+jewels and precious stones, such being the costliness of the display
+that a writer who saw it humorously says, "Many of the nobles carried
+their castles, woods, and farms upon their backs."
+
+Magnificent as was the palace built for Henry and his train, the
+arrangements for the French king and his train were still more imposing.
+The artistic taste of the French was contrasted with the English love
+for solid grandeur. Francis had proposed that both parties should lodge
+in tents erected on the field, and in pursuance of this idea there had
+been prepared "numerous pavilions, fitted up with halls, galleries, and
+chambers ornamented within and without with gold and silver tissue.
+Amidst golden balls and quaint devices glittering in the sun, rose a
+gilt figure of St. Michael, conspicuous for his blue mantle powdered
+with golden _fleurs-de-lis_, and crowning a royal pavilion of vast
+dimensions supported by a single mast. In his right hand he held a dart,
+in his left a shield emblazoned with the arms of France. Inside, the
+roof of the pavilion represented the canopy of heaven ornamented with
+stars and figures of the zodiac. The lodgings of the queen, of the
+Duchess d'Alencon, the king's favorite sister, and of other ladies and
+princes of the blood, were covered with cloth of gold. The rest of the
+tents, to the number of three or four hundred, emblazoned with the arms
+of their owners, were pitched on the banks of a small river outside the
+city walls."
+
+No less abundant provision had been made for the residence of the
+English visitors. When King Henry looked from the oriel windows of his
+fairy palace, he saw before him a scene of the greatest splendor and the
+most incessant activity. The green space stretching southward from the
+castle was covered with tents of all shapes and sizes, many of them
+brilliant with emblazonry, while from their tops floated rich-colored
+banners and pennons in profusion. Before each tent stood a sentry, his
+lance-point glittering like a jewel in the rays of the June sun. Here
+richly-caparisoned horses were prancing, there sumpter mules laden with
+supplies, and decorated with ribbons and flowers, made their slow way
+onward. Everywhere was movement, everywhere seemed gladness; merriment
+ruled supreme, the hilarity being doubtless heightened by frequent
+visits to gilded fountains, which spouted forth claret and hypocras into
+silver cups from which all might drink. Never had been seen such a
+picture in such a place. The splendor of color and decoration of the
+tents, the shining armor and gorgeous dresses of knights and nobles, the
+brilliancy of the military display, the glittering and gleaming effect
+of the pageant as a whole, rendering fitly applicable the name by which
+this royal festival has since been known, "The Field of the Cloth of
+Gold."
+
+Two leagues separated Arde and Guisnes, two leagues throughout which the
+spectacle extended, rich tents and glittering emblazonry occupying the
+whole space, the canvas habitations of the two nations meeting at the
+dividing-line between England and France. It was a splendid avenue
+arranged for the movements of the monarchs of these two great kingdoms.
+
+Such was the scene: what were the ceremonies? They began with a grand
+procession, headed by Cardinal Wolsey, who, as representative of the
+king of England, made the first move in the game of ostentation. Before
+him rode fifty gentlemen, each wearing a great gold chain, while their
+horses were richly caparisoned with crimson velvet. His ushers, fifty
+other gentlemen, followed, bearing maces of gold which at one end were
+as large as a man's head. Next came a dignitary in crimson velvet,
+proudly carrying the cardinal's cross of gold, adorned with precious
+stones. Four lackeys, attired in cloth of gold and with magnificent
+plumed bonnets in their hands, followed. Then came the cardinal himself,
+man and horse splendidly equipped, his strong and resolute face full of
+the pride and arrogance which marked his character, his bearing that of
+almost regal ostentation. After him followed an array of bishops and
+other churchmen, while a hundred archers of the king's guard completed
+the procession.
+
+Reaching Arde, the cardinal dismounted in front of the royal tent, and,
+in the stateliest manner, did homage in his masters name to Francis, who
+received him with a courteous display of deference and affection. The
+next day the representatives of France returned this visit, with equal
+pomp and parade, and with as kindly a reception from Henry, while the
+English nobles feasted those of France in their lordliest fashion, so
+boisterous being their hospitality that they fairly forced their
+visitors into their tents.
+
+These ceremonial preliminaries passed, the meeting of the two sovereigns
+came next in order. Henry had crossed the channel to greet Francis;
+Francis agreed to be the first to cross the frontier to greet him. June
+7 was the day fixed. On this day the king of France left his tent amid
+the roar of cannon, and, followed by a noble retinue in cloth of gold
+and silver, made his way to the frontier, where was set up a gorgeous
+pavilion, in whose decorations the heraldries of England and France were
+commingled. In this handsome tent the two monarchs were to confer.
+
+About the same time Henry set out, riding a powerful stallion, nobly
+caparisoned. At the border-line between English and French territory the
+two monarchs halted, facing each other, each still on his own soil. Deep
+silence prevailed in the trains, and every eye was fixed on the two
+central figures.
+
+They were strongly contrasted. Francis was tall but rather slight in
+figure, and of delicate features. Henry was stout of form, and massive
+but handsome of face. He had not yet attained those swollen proportions
+of face and figure in which history usually depicts him. Their attire
+was as splendid as art and fashion could produce. Francis was dressed in
+a mantle of cloth of gold, which fell over a jewelled cassock of gold
+frieze. He wore a bonnet of ruby velvet enriched with gems, while the
+front and sleeves of his mantle were splendid with diamonds, rubies,
+emeralds, and "ropes of pearls." He rode a "beautiful horse covered with
+goldsmith's work."
+
+Henry was dressed in cloth of silver damask, studded with gems, and
+ribbed with gold cloth, while his horse was gay with trappings of gold,
+embroidery and mosaic work. Altogether the two men were as splendid in
+appearance as gold, silver, jewelry, and the costliest tissues could
+make them,--and as different in personal appearance as two men of the
+same race could well be.
+
+[Illustration: HENRY THE EIGHTH.]
+
+The occasion was not alone a notable one, it was to some extent a
+critical one. For centuries the meetings of French and English kings had
+been hostile; could they now be trusted to be peaceful? Might not the
+sword of the past be hidden in the olive-branch of the present? Suppose
+the lords of France should seize and hold captive the English king, or
+the English lords act with like treachery towards the French king, what
+years of the out-pouring of blood and treasure might follow!
+Apprehensions of such treachery were not wanting. The followers of
+Francis looked with doubt on the armed men in Henry's escort. The
+English courtiers in like manner viewed with eyes of question the
+archers and cavaliers in the train of Francis. Lord Abergavenny ran to
+King Henry as he was about to mount for the ride to the French frontier.
+
+"Sire," he said, anxiously, "ye be my lord and sovereign; wherefore,
+above all, I am bound to show you the truth and not be let for none. I
+have been in the French party, and they be more in number,--double so
+many as ye be."
+
+"Sire," answered Lord Shrewsbury, "whatever my lord of Abergavenny
+sayeth, I myself have been there, and the Frenchmen be more in fear of
+you and your subjects than your subjects be of them. Wherefore, if I
+were worthy to give counsel, your grace should march forward."
+
+Bluff King Harry had no thought of doing anything else. The doubt which
+shook the souls of some of his followers, did not enter his.
+
+"So we intend, my lord," he briefly answered, and rode forward.
+
+For a moment the two kings remained face to face, gazing upon each other
+in silence. Then came a burst of music, and, spurring their horses, they
+galloped forward, and in an instant were hand in hand. Three times they
+embraced; then, dismounting, they again embraced, and walked arm in arm
+towards the pavilion. Brief was the conference within, the constables of
+France and England keeping strict ward outside, with swords held at
+salute. Not till the monarchs emerged was the restraint broken. Then
+Henry and Francis were presented to the dignitaries of the opposite
+nation, their escorts fraternized, barrels of wine were broached, and as
+the wine-cups were drained the toast, "Good friends, French and
+English," was cheerily repeated from both sides. The nobles were
+emulated in this by their followers, and the good fellowship of the
+meeting was signalized by abundant revelry, night only ending the
+merrymaking.
+
+Friday, Saturday, and Sunday passed in exchange of courtesies, and in
+preparations for the tournament which was to be the great event of the
+occasion. On Sunday afternoon Henry crossed the frontier to do homage to
+the queen of France, and Francis offered the same tribute to the English
+queen. Henry rode to Arde in a dress that was heavy with gold and
+jewels, and was met by the queen and her ladies, whose beauty was
+adorned with the richest gems and tissues and the rarest laces that the
+wealth and taste of the time could command. The principal event of the
+reception was a magnificent dinner, whose service was so rich and its
+viands so rare and costly that the chronicler confesses himself unequal
+to the task of describing it. Music, song, and dancing filled up the
+intervals between the courses, and all went merrily until five o'clock,
+when Henry took his leave, entertaining the ladies as he did so with an
+exhibition of his horsemanship, he making his steed to "bound and
+curvet as valiantly as man could do." On his road home he met Francis,
+returning from a like reception by the queen of England. "What cheer?"
+asked the two kings as they cordially embraced, with such a show of
+amity that one might have supposed them brothers born.
+
+The next day was that set for the opening of the tournament. This was to
+be held in a park on the high ground between Arde and Guisnes. On each
+side of the enclosed space long galleries, hung with tapestry, were
+erected for the spectators, a specially-adorned box being prepared for
+the two queens. Triumphal arches marked each entrance to the lists, at
+which stood French and English archers on guard. At the foot of the
+lists was erected the "tree of noblesse," on which were to be hung the
+shields of those about to engage in combat. It bore "the noble thorn
+[the sign of Henry] entwined with raspberry" [the sign of Francis];
+around its trunk was wound cloth of gold and green damask; its leaves
+were formed of green silk, and the fruit that hung from its limb was
+made of silver and Venetian gold.
+
+Henry and Francis, each supported by some eighteen of their noblest
+subjects, designed to hold the lists against all comers, it being,
+however, strictly enjoined that sharp-pointed weapons should not be
+used, lest serious accidents, as in times past, might take place.
+Various other rules were made, of which we shall only name that which
+required the challenger who was worsted in any combat to give "a gold
+token to the lady in whose cause the comer fights."
+
+Shall we tell the tale of this show of mimic war? Splendid it was, and,
+unlike the tournaments of an older date, harmless. The lists were nine
+hundred feet long and three hundred and twenty broad, the galleries
+bordering them being magnificent with their hosts of richly-attired
+lords and ladies and the vari-colored dresses of the archers and others
+of lesser blood. For two days, Monday and Thursday, Henry and Francis
+held the lists. In this sport Henry displayed the skill and prowess of a
+true warrior. Francis could scarcely wield the swords which his brother
+king swept in circles around his head. When he spurred, with couched
+lance, upon an antagonist, his ease and grace aroused the plaudits of
+the spectators, which became enthusiastic as saddle after saddle was
+emptied by the vigor of his thrust.
+
+Next to Henry in strength and prowess was Charles Brandon, Duke of
+Suffolk, who vied with the king for the honors of the field. "The king
+of England and Suffolk did marvels," says the chronicler. On the days
+when the monarchs did not appear in the field lesser knights strove for
+the honors of the joust, wrestling-matches helped to amuse the multitude
+of spectators, and the antics of mummers wound up the sports of the day.
+Only once did Henry and Francis come into friendly contest. This was in
+a wrestling-match, from which the French king, to the surprise of the
+spectators, carried off the honors. By a clever twist of the wrestler's
+art, he managed to throw his burly brother king. Henry's face was red
+with the hot Tudor blood when he rose, his temper had been lost in his
+fall, and there was anger in the tone in which he demanded a renewal of
+the contest. But Francis was too wise to fan a triumph into a quarrel,
+and by mild words succeeded in smoothing the frown from Henry's brow.
+
+For some two weeks these entertainments lasted, the genial June sun
+shining auspiciously upon the lists. From the galleries shone two minor
+luminaries, the queens of England and France, who were always present,
+"with their ladies richly dressed in jewels, and with many chariots,
+litters, and hackneys covered with cloth of gold and silver, and
+emblazoned with their arms." They occupied a glazed gallery hung with
+tapestry, where they were often seen in conversation, a pleasure not so
+readily enjoyed by their ladies in waiting, most of whom had to do their
+talking through the vexatious aid of an interpreter.
+
+During most of the time through which the tournament extended the
+distrust of treachery on one side or the other continued. Francis never
+entered the English pale unless Henry was on French soil. Henry was
+similarly distrustful. Or, rather, the distrust lay in the advisers of
+the monarchs, and as the days went on grew somewhat offensive. Francis
+was the first to break it, and to show his confidence in the good faith
+of his brother monarch. One morning early he crossed the frontier and
+entered the palace at Guisnes while Henry was still in bed, or, as some
+say, was at breakfast. To the guards at the gate he playfully said,
+"Surrender your arms, you are all my prisoners; and now conduct me to my
+brother of England." He accosted Henry with the utmost cordiality,
+embracing him and saying, in a merry tone,--
+
+"Here you see I am your prisoner."
+
+"My brother," cried Henry, with the wannest pleasure, "you have played
+me the most agreeable trick in the world, and have showed me the full
+confidence I may place in you. I surrender myself your prisoner from
+this moment."
+
+Costly presents passed between the two monarchs, and from that moment
+all restraint was at an end. Each rode to see the other when he chose,
+their attendants mingled with the same freedom and confidence, and
+during the whole time not a quarrel, or even a dispute, arose between
+the sons of England and France. In the lists they used spear and sword
+with freedom, but out of them they were the warmest of friends.
+
+On Sunday, June 24, the tournament closed with a solemn mass sung by
+Wolsey, who was assisted by the ecclesiastics of the two lands. When the
+gospels were presented to the two kings to kiss, there was a friendly
+contest as to who should precede. And at the _Agnus Dei_, when the _Pax_
+was presented to the two queens, a like contest arose, which ended in
+their kissing each other in lieu of the sacred emblem.
+
+At the close of the services a showy piece of fireworks attracted the
+attention of the spectators. "There appeared in the air from Arde a
+great artificial salamander or dragon, four fathoms long and full of
+fire; many were frightened, thinking it a comet or some monster, as they
+could see nothing to which it was attached; it passed right over the
+chapel to Guisnes as fast as a footman can go, and as high as a bolt
+from a cross-bow." A splendid banquet followed, which concluded the
+festivities of the "Field of the Cloth of Gold." The two kings entered
+the lists again, but now only to exchange farewells. Henry made his way
+to Calais; Francis returned to Abbeyville: the great occasion was at an
+end.
+
+What was its result? Amity between the two nations; a century of peace
+and friendship? Not so. In a month Henry had secretly allied himself to
+Charles the Fifth against Francis of France. In five years was fought
+the battle of Pavia, between France and the Emperor Charles, in which
+Francis, after showing great valor on the field, was taken prisoner.
+"All is lost, except honor," he wrote. Such was the sequel of the "Field
+of the Cloth of Gold."
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF ARABELLA STUART._
+
+
+Of royal blood was the lady here named, near to the English throne. Too
+near, as it proved, for her own comfort and happiness, for her life was
+distracted by the fears of those that filled it. Her story, in
+consequence, became one of the romances of English history.
+
+"The Lady Arabella," as she was called, was nearly related to Queen
+Elizabeth, and became an object of jealous persecution by that royal
+lady. The great Elizabeth had in her disposition something of the dog in
+the manger. She would not marry herself, and thus provide for the
+succession to the throne, and she was determined that the fair Arabella
+should not perform this neglected duty. Hence Arabella's misery.
+
+The first thing we hear of this unfortunate scion of royal blood
+concerns a marriage. The whole story of her life, in fact, is concerned
+with marriage, and its fatal ending was the result of marriage. Never
+had a woman been more sought in marriage; never more hindered; her life
+was a tragedy of marriage.
+
+Her earlier story may be briefly given. James VI. of Scotland, cousin of
+the Lady Arabella, chose as a husband for her another cousin, Lord Esme
+Stuart, Duke of Lennox, his proposed heir. The match was a desirable
+one, but Queen Elizabeth forbade the banns. She threw the lady into a
+prison, and defied King James when he demanded her delivery, not
+hesitating to speak with contempt of her brother monarch.
+
+The next to choose a husband for Arabella was the pope, who would have
+been delighted to provide a Catholic for the succession to the English
+throne. A prince of the house of Savoy was the choice of his holiness.
+The Duke of Parma was married, and his brother was a cardinal, and
+therefore unmarriageable, but the pope had the power to overcome the
+difficulty which this created. He secularized the churchman, and made
+him an eligible aspirant for the lady's hand. But, as may well be
+supposed, Elizabeth decisively vetoed this chimerical plan.
+
+To escape from the plots of scheming politicians, the Lady Arabella now
+took the task in her own hand, proposing to marry a son of the Earl of
+Northumberland. Unhappily, Elizabeth would none of it. To her jealous
+fancy an English earl was more dangerous than a Scotch duke. Thus went
+on this extraordinary business till Elizabeth died, and King James of
+Scotland, whom she had despised, became her successor on the throne, she
+having paved the way to his succession by her neglect to provide an heir
+for it herself, and her insensate determination to prevent Arabella
+Stuart from doing so.
+
+James was now king. He had chosen a husband for his cousin Arabella
+before. It was a natural presumption that he would not object to her
+marriage now. But if Elizabeth was jealous, he was suspicious. A foolish
+plot was made by some unimportant individuals to get rid of the Scottish
+king and place Arabella on the English throne. A letter to this effect
+was sent to the lady. She laughed at it, and sent it to the king, who,
+probably, did not consider it a laughing-matter.
+
+This was in 1603. In 1604 the king of Poland is said to have asked for
+the lady's hand in marriage. Count Maurice, Duke of Guildres, was also
+spoken of as a suitable match. But James had grown as obdurate as
+Elizabeth,--and with as little sense and reason. The lady might enjoy
+life in single blessedness as she pleased, but marry she should not.
+"Thus far to the Lady Arabella crowns and husbands were like a fairy
+banquet seen at moonlight opening on her sight, impalpable, and
+vanishing at the moment of approach."
+
+Several years now passed, in which the lady lived as a dependant on the
+king's bounty, and in which, so far as we know, no thoughts of marriage
+were entertained. At least, no projects of marriage were made public,
+whatever may have been the lady's secret thoughts and wishes. Then came
+the romantic event of her life,--a marriage, and its striking
+consequences. It is this event which has made her name remembered in the
+romance of history.
+
+Christmas of 1608 had passed, and the Lady Arabella was still unmarried;
+the English crown had not tottered to its fall through the entrance of
+this fair maiden into the bonds of matrimony. The year 1609 began, and
+terror seized the English court; this insatiable woman was reaching out
+for another husband! This time the favored swain was Mr. William
+Seymour, the second son of Lord Beauchamp, and grandson of the earl of
+Hertford. He was a man of admired character, a studious scholar in times
+of peace, an ardent soldier in times of war. He and Arabella had known
+each other from childhood.
+
+In February the daring rebellion of the Lady Arabella became known, and
+sent its shaft of terror to the heart of King James. The woman was at it
+again, wanting to marry; she must be dealt with. She and Seymour were
+summoned before the privy council and sharply questioned. Seymour was
+harshly censured. How dared he presume to seek an alliance with one of
+royal blood, he was asked, in blind disregard of the fact that royal
+blood ran in his own veins.
+
+He showed fitting humility before the council, pleading that he meant no
+offence. Thus he told the dignified councillors the story of his
+wooing,--
+
+"I boldly intruded myself into her ladyship's chamber in this court on
+Candlemas-day last, at which time I imparted my desire unto her, which
+was entertained, but with this caution on either part, that both of us
+resolved not to proceed to any final conclusion without his Majesty's
+most gracious favor first obtained. And this was our first meeting.
+After this we had a second meeting at Brigg's house in Fleet Street, and
+then a third at Mr. Baynton's; at both of which we had the like
+conference and resolution as before."
+
+Neither of them would think of marrying without "his Majesty's most
+gracious favor," they declared. This favor could not be granted. The
+safety of the English crown had to be considered. The lovers were
+admonished by the privy council and dismissed.
+
+But love laughs at privy councils, as well as at locksmiths. This time
+the Lady Arabella was not to be hindered. She and Seymour were secretly
+married, without regard to "his Majesty's most gracious favor," and
+enjoyed a short period of connubial bliss in defiance of king and
+council.
+
+Their offence was not discovered till July of the following year. It
+roused a small convulsion in court circles. The king had been defied.
+The culprits must be punished. The lovers--for they were still
+lovers--were separated, Seymour being sent to the Tower, for "his
+contempt in marrying a lady of the royal family without the king's
+leave;" the lady being confined at the house of Sir Thomas Parry, at
+Lambeth.
+
+Their confinement was not rigorous. The lady was allowed to walk in the
+garden. The gentleman was given the freedom of the Tower. Letters seem
+to have passed between them. From one of these ancient love-letters we
+may quote the affectionate conclusion. Seymour had taken cold. Arabella
+writes:
+
+"I do assure you that nothing the State can do with me can trouble me so
+much as this news of your being ill doth; and, you see, when I am
+troubled I trouble you with too tedious kindness, for so I think you
+will account so long a letter, yourself not having written to me this
+good while so much as how you do. But, sweet sir, I speak not of this to
+trouble you with writing but when you please. Be well, and I shall
+account myself happy in being
+
+"Your faithful, loving wife.
+
+  ARB. S."
+
+They wrote too much, it seems. Their correspondence was discovered.
+Trouble ensued. The king determined to place the lady in closer
+confinement under the bishop of Durham.
+
+Arabella was in despair when this news was brought her. She grew so ill
+from her depression of spirits that she could only travel to her new
+place of detention in a litter and under the care of a physician. On
+reaching Highgate she had become unfit to proceed, her pulse weak, her
+countenance pale and wan. The doctor left her there and returned to
+town, where he reported to the king that the lady was too sick to
+travel.
+
+"She shall proceed to Durham if I am king," answered James, with his
+usual weak-headed obstinacy.
+
+"I make no doubt of her obedience," answered the doctor.
+
+"Obedience is what I require," replied the king. "That given, I will do
+more for her than she expects."
+
+He consented, in the end, that she should remain a month at Highgate,
+under confinement, at the end of which time she should proceed to
+Durham. The month passed. She wrote a letter to the king which procured
+her a second month's respite. But that time, too, passed on, and the day
+fixed for her further journey approached.
+
+The lady now showed none of the wild grief which she had at first
+displayed. She was resigned to her fate, she said, and manifested a
+tender sorrow which won the hearts of her keepers, who could not but
+sympathize with a high-born lady thus persecuted for what was assuredly
+no crime, if even a fault.
+
+At heart, however, she was by no means so tranquil as she seemed. Her
+communications with Seymour had secretly continued, and the two had
+planned a wildly-romantic project of escape, of which this seeming
+resignation was but part. The day preceding that fixed for her departure
+arrived. The lady had persuaded an attendant to aid her in paying a last
+visit to her husband, whom she declared she must see before going to her
+distant prison. She would return at a fixed hour. The attendant could
+wait for her at an appointed place.
+
+This credulous servant, led astray, doubtless, by sympathy with the
+loving couple, not only consented to the request, but assisted the lady
+in assuming an elaborate disguise.
+
+"She drew," we are told, "a pair of large French-fashioned hose or
+trousers over her petticoats, put on a man's doublet or coat, a peruke
+such as men wore, whose long locks covered her own ringlets, a black
+hat, a black coat, russet boots with red tops, and a rapier by her side.
+Thus accoutred, the Lady Arabella stole out with a gentleman about three
+o'clock in the afternoon. She had only proceeded a mile and a half when
+they stopped at a post-inn, where one of her confederates was waiting
+with horses; yet she was so sick and faint that the hostler who held her
+stirrup observed that the gentleman could hardly hold out to London."
+
+But the "gentleman" grew stronger as she proceeded. The exercise of
+riding gave her new spirit. Her pale face grew rosy; her strength
+increased; by six o'clock she reached Blackwall, where a boat and
+servants were waiting. The plot had been well devised and all the
+necessary preparations made.
+
+The boatmen were bidden to row to Woolwich. This point reached, they
+were asked to proceed to Gravesend. Then they rowed on to Tilbury. By
+this time they were fatigued, and landed for rest and refreshment. But
+the desired goal had not yet been reached, and an offer of higher pay
+induced them to push on to Lee.
+
+Here the fugitive lady rested till daybreak. The light of morn
+discovered a French vessel at anchor off the harbor, which was quickly
+boarded. It had been provided for the escape of the lovers. But Seymour,
+who had planned to escape from the Tower and meet her here, had not
+arrived. Arabella was desirous that the vessel should continue at anchor
+until he appeared. If he should fail to come she did not care to
+proceed. The land that held her lord was the land in which she wished to
+dwell, even if they should be parted by fate and forced to live asunder.
+
+This view did not please those who were aiding her escape. They would be
+pursued, and might be overtaken. Delay was dangerous. In disregard of
+her wishes, they ordered the captain to put to sea. As events turned
+out, their haste proved unfortunate for the fair fugitive, and the
+"cause of woes unnumbered" to the loving pair.
+
+Leaving her to her journey, we must return to the adventures of Seymour.
+Prisoner at large, as he was, in the Tower, escape proved not difficult.
+A cart had entered the enclosure to bring wood to his apartment. On its
+departure he followed it through the gates, unobserved by the warder.
+His servant was left behind, with orders to keep all visitors from the
+room, on pretence that his master was laid up with a raging toothache.
+
+Reaching the river, the escaped prisoner found a man in his confidence
+in waiting with a boat. He was rowed down the stream to Lee, where he
+expected to find his Arabella in waiting. She was not there, but in the
+distance was a vessel which he fancied might have her on board. He
+hired a fisherman to take him out. Hailing the vessel, he inquired its
+name, and to his grief learned that it was not the French ship which had
+been hired for the lovers' flight. Fate had separated them. Filled with
+despair, he took passage on a vessel from Newcastle, whose captain was
+induced, for a fair consideration, to alter his course. In due time he
+landed in Flanders, free, but alone. He was never to set eyes on
+Arabella Stuart again.
+
+Meanwhile, the escape of the lady from Highgate had become known, and
+had aroused almost as much alarm as if some frightful calamity had
+overtaken the State. Confusion and alarm pervaded the court. The
+Gunpowder Plot itself hardly shook up the gray heads of King James's
+cabinet more than did the flight of this pair of parted doves. The wind
+seemed to waft peril. The minutes seemed fraught with threats. Couriers
+were despatched in all haste to the neighboring seaports, and hurry
+everywhere prevailed.
+
+A messenger was sent to the Tower, bidding the lieutenant to guard
+Seymour with double vigilance. To the surprise of the worthy lieutenant,
+he discovered that Seymour was not there to be guarded. The bird had
+flown. Word of this threw King James into a ludicrous state of terror.
+He wished to issue a vindictive proclamation, full of hot fulminations,
+and could scarcely be persuaded by his minister to tone down his foolish
+utterances. The revised edict was sent off with as much speed as if an
+enemy's fleet were in the offing, the courier being urged to his utmost
+despatch, the postmasters aroused to activity by the stirring
+superscription, "Haste, haste, post-haste! Haste for your life, your
+life!" One might have thought that a new Norman invasion was threatening
+the coast, instead of a pair of new-married lovers flying to finish
+their honey-moon in peace and freedom abroad.
+
+[Illustration: ROTTEN ROW. LONDON.]
+
+When news of what had happened reached the family of the Seymours, it
+threw them into a state of alarm not less than that of the king. They
+knew what it meant to offend the crown. The progenitor of the family,
+the Duke of Somerset, had lost his head through some offence to a king,
+and his descendants had no ambition to be similarly curtailed of their
+natural proportions. Francis Seymour wrote to his uncle, the Earl of
+Hertford, then distant from London, telling the story of the flight of
+his brother and the lady. This letter still exists, and its appearance
+indicates the terror into which it threw the earl. It reached him at
+midnight. With it came a summons to attend the privy council. He read it
+apparently by the light of a taper, and with such agitation that the
+sheet caught fire. The scorched letter still exists, and is burnt
+through at the most critical part of its story. The poor old earl
+learned enough to double his terror, and lost the section that would
+have alleviated it. He hastened up to London in a state of doubt and
+fear, not knowing but that he was about to be indicted for high
+treason.
+
+Meanwhile, what had become of the disconsolate Lady Arabella? The poor
+bride found herself alone upon the seas, mourning for her lost Seymour,
+imploring her attendants to delay, straining her eyes in hopes of seeing
+some boat bearing to her him she so dearly loved. It was in vain. No
+Seymour appeared. And the delay in her flight proved fatal. The French
+ship which bore her was overtaken in Calais roads by one of the king's
+vessels which had been so hastily despatched in pursuit, and the lady
+was taken on board and brought back, protesting that she cared not what
+became of her if her dear Seymour should only escape.
+
+The story ends mournfully. The sad-hearted bride was consigned to an
+imprisonment that preyed heavily upon her. Never very strong, her sorrow
+and depression of spirits reduced her powers, while, with the hope that
+she might die the sooner, she refused the aid of physicians. Grief,
+despair, intense emotion, in time impaired her reason, and at the end of
+four years of prison life she died, her mind having died before. Rarely
+has a simple and innocent marriage produced such sad results through the
+uncalled-for jealousy of kings. The sad romance of the poor Lady
+Arabella's life was due to the fact that she had an unreasonable woman
+to deal with in Elizabeth, and a suspicious fool in James. Sound
+common-sense must say that neither had aught to gain from this
+persecution of the poor lady, who they were so obstinately determined
+should end life a maid.
+
+Seymour spent some years abroad, and then was permitted to return to
+England. His wife was dead; the king had naught to fear. He lived
+through three successive reigns, distinguishing himself by his loyalty
+to James and his two successors, and to the day of his death retaining
+his warm affection for his first love. He married again, and to the
+daughter born from this match he gave the name of Arabella Stuart, in
+token of his undying attachment to the lady of his life's romance.
+
+
+
+
+_LOVE'S KNIGHT-ERRANT._
+
+
+On the 18th of February, 1623, two young men, Tom and John Smith by
+name, plainly dressed and attended by one companion in the attire of an
+upper-servant, rode to the ferry at Gravesend, on the Thames. They wore
+heavy beards, which did not look altogether natural, and had pulled
+their hats well down over their foreheads, as if to hide their faces
+from prying eyes. They seemed a cross between disguised highwaymen and
+disguised noblemen.
+
+The ancient ferryman looked at them with some suspicion as they entered
+his boat, asking himself, "What lark is afoot with these young bloods?
+There's mischief lurking under those beards."
+
+His suspicions were redoubled when his passengers, in arbitrary tones,
+bade him put them ashore below the town, instead of at the usual
+landing-place. And he became sure that they were great folks bent on
+mischief when, on landing, one of them handed him a gold-piece for his
+fare, and rode away without asking for change.
+
+"Aha! my brisk lads, I have you now," he said, with a chuckle. "There's
+a duel afoot. Those two youngsters are off for the other side of the
+Channel, to let out some angry blood, and the other goes along as second
+or surgeon. It's very neat, but the law says nay; and I know my duty. I
+am not to be bought off with a piece of gold."
+
+Pocketing his golden fare, he hastened to the nearest magistrate, and
+told his story and his suspicion. The magistrate agreed with him, and at
+once despatched a post-boy to Rochester, with orders to have the
+doubtful travellers stopped. Away rode the messenger at haste, on one of
+the freshest horses to be found in Gravesend stables. But his steed was
+no match for the thoroughbreds of the suspected wayfarers, and they had
+left the ancient town of Rochester in the rear long before he reached
+its skirts.
+
+Rochester passed, they rode briskly onward, conversing with the gay
+freedom of frolicsome youth; when, much to their alarm as it seemed,
+they saw in the road before them a stately train. It consisted of a
+carriage that appeared royal in its decorations and in the glittering
+trappings of its horses, beside which rode two men dressed like
+noblemen, following whom came a goodly retinue of attendants.
+
+The young wayfarers seemed to recognize the travellers, and drew up to a
+quick halt, as if in alarm.
+
+"Lewknor and Mainwaring, by all that's unlucky!" said the one known as
+Tom Smith.
+
+"And a carriage-load of Spanish high mightiness between them; for that's
+the ambassador on his way to court," answered John Smith. "It's all up
+with our escapade if they get their eyes on us. We must bolt."
+
+"How and whither?"
+
+"Over the hedge and far away."
+
+Spurring their horses, they broke through the low hedge that bordered
+the road-side, and galloped at a rapid pace across the fields beyond.
+The approaching party viewed this movement with lively suspicion.
+
+"Who can they be?" queried Sir Lewis Lewknor, one of the noblemen.
+
+His companion, who was no less a personage than Sir Henry Mainwaring,
+lieutenant of Dover Castle, looked questioningly after the fugitives.
+
+"They are well mounted and have the start on us. We cannot overtake
+them," he muttered.
+
+"You know them, then?" asked Lewknor.
+
+"I have my doubt that two of them are the young Barneveldts, who have
+just tried to murder the Prince of Orange. They must be stopped and
+questioned."
+
+He turned and bade one of his followers to ride back with all speed to
+Canterbury, and bid the magistrates to detain three suspicious
+travellers, who would soon reach that town. This done, the train moved
+on, Mainwaring satisfied that he had checked the runaways, whoever they
+were.
+
+The Smiths and their attendant reached Canterbury in good time, but this
+time they were outridden. Mainwaring's messenger had got in before them,
+and the young adventurers found themselves stopped by a mounted guard,
+with the unwelcome tidings that his honor, the mayor, would like to see
+them.
+
+Being brought before his honor, they blustered a little, talked in big
+tones of the rights of Englishmen, and asked angrily who had dared order
+their detention. They found master mayor cool and decided.
+
+"Gentlemen, you will stay here till I know better who you are," he said.
+"Sir Henry Mainwaring has ordered you to be stopped, and he best knows
+why. Nor do I fancy he has gone amiss, for your names of Tom and John
+Smith fit you about as well as your beards."
+
+At these words, the one that claimed the name of John Smith burst into a
+hearty laugh. Seizing his beard, he gave it a slight jerk, and it came
+off in his hand. The mayor started in surprise. The face before him was
+one that he very well knew.
+
+"The Marquis of Buckingham!" he exclaimed.
+
+"The same, at your service," said Buckingham, still laughing.
+"Mainwaring takes me for other than I am. Likely enough he deems me a
+runaway road-agent. You will scarcely stop the lord admiral, going in
+disguise to Dover to make a secret inspection of the fleet?"
+
+"Why, that certainly changes the case," said the mayor. "But who is your
+companion?" he continued, in a low tone, looking askance at the other.
+
+"A young gallant of the court, who keeps me company," said Buckingham,
+carelessly.
+
+"The road is free before you, gentlemen," said the mayor, graciously. "I
+will answer to Mainwaring."
+
+He turned and bade his guards to deliver their horses to the travellers.
+But his eyes followed them with a peculiar twinkle as they left the
+room.
+
+"A young gallant of the court!" he muttered. "I have seen that gallant
+before. Well, well, what mad frolic is afoot? Thank the stars, I am not
+bound, by virtue of my office, to know him."
+
+The party reached Dover without further adventure. But the inspection of
+the fleet was evidently an invention for the benefit of the mayor.
+Instead of troubling themselves about the fleet, they entered a vessel
+that seemed awaiting them, and on whose deck they were joined by two
+companions. In a very short time they were out of harbor and off with a
+fresh wind across the Channel. Mainwaring had been wrong,--was the
+ferryman right?--was a duel the purpose of this flight in disguise?
+
+No; the travellers made no halt at Boulogne, the favorite
+duelling-ground of English hot-bloods, but pushed off in haste for
+Montreuil, and thence rode straight to Paris, which they reached after a
+two-days' journey.
+
+It seemed an odd freak, this ride in disguise for the mere purpose of a
+visit to Paris. But there was nothing to indicate that the two young men
+had any other object as they strolled carelessly during the next day
+about the French capital, known to none there, and enjoying themselves
+like school-boys on a holiday.
+
+Among the sights which they managed to see were the king, Louis XIII.,
+and his royal mother, Marie de Medicis. That evening a mask was to be
+rehearsed at the palace, in which the queen and the Princess Henrietta
+Maria were to take part. On the plea of being strangers in Paris, the
+two young Englishmen managed to obtain admittance to this royal
+merrymaking, which they highly enjoyed. As to what they saw, we have a
+partial record in a subsequent letter from one of them.
+
+"There danced," says this epistle, "the queen and madame, with as many
+as made up nineteen fair dancing ladies; amongst which the queen is the
+handsomest, which hath wrought in me a greater desire to see her
+sister."
+
+This sister was then at Madrid, for the queen of France was a daughter
+of Philip III. of Spain. And, as if Spain was the true destination of
+the travellers, and to see the French queen's sister their object, at
+the early hour of three the next morning they were up and on horseback,
+riding out of Paris on the road to Bayonne. Away they went, pressing
+onward at speed, he whom we as yet know only as Tom Smith taking the
+lead, and pushing forward with such youthful eagerness that even the
+seasoned Buckingham looked the worse for wear before they reached the
+borders of Spain.
+
+Who was this eager errant knight? All London by this time knew, and it
+is time that we should learn. Indeed, while the youthful wayfarers were
+speeding away on their mad and merry ride, the privy councillors of
+England were on their knees before King James, half beside themselves
+with apprehension, saying that Prince Charles had disappeared, that the
+rumor was that he had gone to Spain, and begging to know if this wild
+rumor were true.
+
+"There is no doubt of it," said the king. "But what of that? His father,
+his grandfather, and his great-grandfather all went into foreign
+countries to fetch home their wives,--why not the prince, my son?"
+
+"England may learn why," was the answer of the alarmed councillors, and
+after them of the disturbed country. "The king of Spain is not to be
+trusted with such a royal morsel. Suppose he seizes the heir to
+England's throne, and holds him as hostage! The boy is mad, and the king
+in his dotage to permit so wild a thing." Such was the scope of general
+comment on the prince's escapade.
+
+While England fumed, and King James had begun to fret in chorus with the
+country, his "sweet boys and dear venturous knights, worthy to be put in
+a new romanso," as he had remarked on first learning of their flight,
+were making their way at utmost horse-speed across France. A few miles
+beyond Bayonne they met a messenger from the Earl of Bristol, ambassador
+at Madrid, bearing despatches to England. They stopped him, opened his
+papers, and sought to read them, but found the bulk of them written in a
+cipher beyond their powers to solve. Baffled in this, they bade Gresley,
+the messenger, to return with them as far as Irun, as they wished him to
+bear to the king a letter written on Spanish soil.
+
+No great distance farther brought them to the small river Bidassoa, the
+Rubicon of their journey. It formed the boundary between France and
+Spain. On reaching its southern bank they stood on the soil of the land
+of the dons, and the truant prince danced for joy, filled with delight
+at the success of his runaway prank. Gresley afterwards reported in
+England that Buckingham looked worn from his long ride, but that he had
+never seen Prince Charles so merry.
+
+Onward through this new kingdom went the youthful scapegraces, over the
+hills and plains of Spain, their hearts beating with merry
+music,--Buckingham gay from his native spirit of adventure, Charles
+eager to see in knight-errant fashion the charming infanta of Spain, of
+whom he had seen, as yet, only the "counterfeit presentment," and a view
+of whom in person was the real object of his journey. So ardent were the
+two young men that they far outrode their companions, and at eight
+o'clock in the evening of March 7, seventeen days after they had left
+Buckingham's villa at Newhall, the truant pair were knocking briskly at
+the door of the Earl of Bristol at Madrid.
+
+Wilder and more perilous escapade had rarely been adventured. The king
+had let them go with fear and trembling. Weak-willed monarch as he was,
+he could not resist Buckingham's persuasions, though he dreaded the
+result. The uncertain temper of Philip of Spain was well-known, the
+preliminaries of the marriage which had been designed between Charles
+and the infanta were far from settled, the political relations between
+England and Spain were not of the most pacific, and it was within the
+bounds of probability that Philip might seize and hold the heir of
+England. It would give him a vast advantage over the sister realm, and
+profit had been known to outweigh honor in the minds of potentates.
+
+Heedless of all this, sure that his appearance would dispel the clouds
+that hung over the marriage compact and shed the sunshine of peace and
+union over the two kingdoms, giddy with the hopefulness of youth, and
+infected with Buckingham's love of gallantry and adventure, Charles
+reached Madrid without a thought of peril, wild to see the infanta in
+his new role of knight-errant, and to decide for himself whether the
+beauty and accomplishments for which she was famed were as patent to his
+eye as to the voice of common report, and such as made her worthy the
+love of a prince of high degree.
+
+Such was the mood and such the hopes with which the romantic prince
+knocked at Lord Bristol's door. But such was not the feeling with which
+the practised diplomat received his visitors. He saw at a glance the
+lake of possible mischief before him; yet he was versed in the art of
+keeping his countenance serene, and received his guests as cordially as
+if they had called on him in his London mansion.
+
+Bristol would have kept the coming of the prince to himself, if it had
+been possible. But the utmost he could hope was to keep the secret for
+that night, and even in this he failed. Count Gondomar, a Spanish
+diplomat, called on him, saw his visitors, and while affecting ignorance
+was not for an instant deceived. On leaving Bristol's house he at once
+hurried to the royal palace, and, filled with his weighty tidings, burst
+upon Count Olivares, the king's favorite, at supper. Gondomar's face was
+beaming. Olivares looked at him in surprise.
+
+"What brings you so late?" he asked. "One would think that you had got
+the king of England in Madrid."
+
+"If I have not got the king," replied Gondomar, "at least I have got the
+prince. You cannot ask a rarer prize."
+
+Olivares sat stupefied at the astounding news. As soon as he could find
+words he congratulated Gondomar on his important tidings and quickly
+hastened to find the king, who was in his bed-chamber, and whom he
+astonished with the tale he had to tell.
+
+The monarch and his astute minister earnestly discussed the subject in
+all its bearings. On one point they felt sure. The coming of Charles to
+Spain was evidence to them that he intended to change his religion and
+embrace the Catholic faith. He would never have ventured otherwise. But,
+to "make assurance doubly sure," Philip turned to a crucifix which stood
+at the head of his bed, and swore on it that the coming of the Prince of
+Wales should not induce him to take a step in the marriage not favored
+by the pope, even if it should involve the loss of his kingdom.
+
+"As to what is temporal and mine," he said, to Olivares, "see that all
+his wishes are gratified, in consideration of the obligation under which
+he has placed us by coming here."
+
+Meanwhile, Bristol spent the night in the false belief that the secret
+was still his own. He summoned Gondomar in the morning, told him, with a
+show of conferring a favor, of what had occurred, and bade him to tell
+Olivares that Buckingham had arrived, but to say nothing about the
+prince. That Gondomar consented need not be said. He had already told
+all there was to tell. In the afternoon Buckingham and Olivares had a
+brief interview in the gardens of the palace. After nightfall the
+English marquis had the honor of kissing the hand of his Catholic
+Majesty, Philip IV. of Spain. He told the king of the arrival of Prince
+Charles, much to the seeming surprise of the monarch, who had learned
+the art of keeping his countenance.
+
+During the next day a mysterious silence was preserved concerning the
+great event, through certain unusual proceedings took place. Philip,
+with the queen, his sister, the infanta, and his two brothers, drove
+backward and forward through the streets of Madrid. In another carriage
+the Prince of Wales made a similarly stately progress through the same
+streets, the purpose being to yield him a passing glimpse of his
+betrothed and the royal family. The streets were thronged, all eyes
+were fixed on the coach containing the strangers, yet silence reigned.
+The rumor had spread far and wide who those strangers were, but it was a
+secret, and no one must show that the secret was afoot. Yet, though
+their voices were silent, their hearts were full of triumph in the
+belief that the future king of England had come with the purpose of
+embracing the national faith of Spain.
+
+At the end of the procession Olivares joined the prince and told him
+that his royal master was dying to speak with him, and could scarcely
+restrain himself. An interview was quickly arranged, its locality to be
+the coach of the king. Meanwhile, Olivares sought Buckingham.
+
+"Let us despatch this matter out of hand," he said, "and strike it up
+without the pope."
+
+"Very well," answered Buckingham; "but how is it to be done?"
+
+"The means are very easy," said Olivares, lightly. "It is but the
+conversion of the prince, which we cannot conceive but his highness
+intended when he resolved upon this journey."
+
+This belief was a very natural one. The fact of Charles being a
+Protestant had been the stumbling-block in the way of the match. A
+dispensation for the marriage of a Catholic princess with the Protestant
+prince of England had been asked from the pope, but had not yet been
+given. Charles had come to Madrid with the empty hope that his presence
+would cut the knot of this difficulty, and win him the princess out of
+hand. The authorities and the people, on the contrary, fancied that
+nothing less than an intention to turn Catholic could have brought him
+to Spain. As for the infanta herself, she was an ardent Catholic, and
+bitterly opposed to being united in marriage to a heretic prince. Such
+was the state of affairs that prevailed. The easy pathway out of the
+difficulty which the hopeful prince had devised was likely to prove not
+quite free from thorns.
+
+[Illustration: THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID.]
+
+The days passed on. Buckingham declared to Olivares that Charles had no
+thought of becoming a Catholic. Charles avoided the subject, and talked
+only of his love. The Spanish ministers blamed Bristol for his
+indecision, and had rooms prepared for the prince in the royal palace.
+Charles willingly accepted them, and on the 16th of March rode through
+the streets of Madrid, on the right hand of the king, to his new abode.
+
+The people were now permitted to applaud to their hearts' desire, as no
+further pretence of a secret existed. Glad acclamations attended the
+progress of the royal cortege. The people shouted with joy, and all,
+high and low, sang a song composed for the occasion by Lope de Vega, the
+famous dramatist, which told how Charles had come, under the guidance of
+love, to the Spanish sky to see his star Maria.
+
+  "Carlos Estuardo soy
+  Que, siendo amor mi guia,
+  Al cielo d'Espana voy
+  Por ver mi estrella Maria."
+
+The palace was decorated with all its ancient splendor, the streets
+everywhere showed signs of the public joy, and, as a special mark of
+royal clemency, all prisoners, except those held for heinous crimes,
+were set at liberty, among them numerous English galley-slaves, who had
+been captured in pirate vessels preying upon Spanish commerce.
+
+Yet all this merrymaking and clemency, and all the negotiations which
+proceeded in the precincts of the palace, did not expedite the question
+at issue. Charles had no thought of becoming a Catholic. Philip had
+little thought of permitting a marriage under any other conditions. The
+infanta hated the idea of the sacrifice, as she considered it. The
+authorities at Rome refused the dispensation. The wheels of the whole
+business seemed firmly blocked.
+
+Meanwhile, Charles had seen the infanta again, somewhat more closely
+than in a passing glance from a carriage, and though no words had passed
+between them, her charms of face strongly attracted his susceptible
+heart. He was convinced that he deeply loved her, and he ardently
+pressed for a closer interview. This Spanish etiquette hindered, and it
+was not until April 7, Easter Day, that a personal interview was granted
+the ardent lover. On that day the king, accompanied by a train of
+grandees, led the English prince to the apartments of the queen, who sat
+in state, with the infanta by her side.
+
+Greeting the queen with proper respect, Charles turned to address the
+lady of his love. A few ceremonial words had been set down for him to
+utter, but his English heart broke the bonds of Spanish etiquette, and,
+forgetting everything but his passion, he began to address the princess
+in ardent words of his own choice. He had not gone far before there was
+a sensation. The persons present began to whisper. The queen looked with
+angry eyes on the presuming lover. The infanta was evidently annoyed.
+Charles hesitated and stopped short. Something seemed to have gone
+wrong. The infanta answered his eager words with a few cold,
+common-place sentences; a sense of constraint and uneasiness appeared to
+haunt the apartment; the interview was at an end. English ideas of
+love-making had proved much too unconventional for a Spanish court.
+
+From that day forward the affair dragged on with infinite deliberation,
+the passion of the prince growing stronger, the aversion of the infanta
+seemingly increasing, the purpose of the Spanish court to mould the
+ardent lover to its own ends appearing more decided.
+
+While Charles showed his native disposition by prevarication, Buckingham
+showed his by an impatience that soon led to anger and insolence. The
+wearisome slowness of the negotiations ill suited his hasty and
+arbitrary temper, he quarrelled with members of the State Council, and,
+in an interview between the prince and the friars, he grew so incensed
+at the demands made that, in disregard of all the decencies of
+etiquette, he sprang from his seat, expressed his contempt for the
+ecclesiastics by insulting gestures, and ended by flinging his hat on
+the ground and stamping on it. That conference came to a sudden end.
+
+As the stay of the prince in Madrid now seemed likely to be protracted,
+attendants were sent him from England that he might keep up, some show
+of state. But the Spanish court did not want them, and contrived to make
+their stay so unpleasant and their accommodations so poor, that Charles
+soon packed the most of them off home again.
+
+"I am glad to get away," said one of these, James Eliot by name, to the
+prince; "and hope that your Highness will soon leave this pestiferous
+Spain. It is a dangerous place to alter a man and turn him. I myself in
+a short time have perceived my own weakness, and am almost turned."
+
+"What motive had you?" asked Charles. "What have you seen that should
+turn you?"
+
+"Marry," replied Eliot, "when I was in England, I turned the whole Bible
+over to find Purgatory, and because I could not find it there I believed
+there was none. But now that I have come to Spain, I have found it here,
+and that your Highness is in it; whence that you may be released, we,
+your Highness's servants, who are going to Paradise, will offer unto God
+our utmost devotions."
+
+A purgatory it was,--a purgatory lightened for Charles by love, he
+playing the role assigned by Dante to Paolo, though the infanta was
+little inclined to imitate Francesca da Rimini. Buckingham fumed and
+fretted, was insolent to the Spanish ministers, and sought as earnestly
+to get Charles out of Madrid as he had done to get him there, and less
+successfully. But the love-stricken prince had become impracticable. His
+fancy deepened as the days passed by. Such was the ardor of his passion,
+that on one day in May he broke headlong through the rigid wall of
+Spanish etiquette, by leaping into the garden in which the lady of his
+love was walking, and addressing her in words of passion. The startled
+girl shrieked and fled, and Charles was with difficulty hindered from
+following her.
+
+Only one end could come of all this. Spain and the pope had the game in
+their own hands. Charles had fairly given himself over to them, and his
+ardent passion for the lady weakened all his powers of resistance. King
+James was a slave to his son, and incapable of refusing him anything.
+The end of it all was that the English king agreed that all persecution
+of Catholics in England should come to an end, without a thought as to
+what the parliament might say to this hasty promise, and Charles signed
+papers assenting to all the Spanish demands, excepting that he should
+himself become a Catholic.
+
+The year wore wearily on till August was reached. England and her king
+were by this time wildly anxious that the prince should return. Yet he
+hung on with the pitiful indecision that marked his whole life, and it
+is not unlikely that the incident which induced him to leave Spain at
+last was a wager with Bristol, who offered to risk a ring worth one
+thousand pounds that the prince would spend his Christmas in Madrid.
+
+It was at length decided that he should return, the 2d of September
+being the day fixed upon for his departure. He and the king enjoyed a
+last hunt together, lunched under the shadows of the trees, and bade
+each other a seemingly loving farewell. Buckingham's good-by was of a
+different character. It took the shape of a violent quarrel with
+Olivares, the Spanish minister of state. And home again set out the
+brace of knights-errant, not now in the simple fashion of Tom and John
+Smith, but with much of the processional display of a royal cortege.
+Then it was a gay ride of two ardent youths across France and Spain, one
+filled with thoughts of love, the other with the spirit of adventure.
+Now it was a stately, almost a regal, movement, with anger as its
+source, disappointment as its companion. Charles had fairly sold himself
+to Philip, and yet was returning home without his bride. Buckingham, the
+nobler nature of the two, had by his petulance and arrogance kept
+himself in hot water with the Spanish court. Altogether, the adventure
+had not been a success.
+
+The bride was to follow the prince to England in the spring. But the
+farther he got from Madrid the less Charles felt that he wanted her. His
+love, which had grown as he came, diminished as he went. It had then
+spread over his fancy like leaves on a tree in spring; now it fell from
+him like leaves from an October tree. It had been largely made up, at
+the best, of fancy and vanity, and blown to a white heat by the
+obstacles which had been thrown in his way. It cooled with every mile
+that took him from Madrid.
+
+To the port of Santander moved the princely train. As it entered that
+town, the bells were rung and cannon fired in welcoming peals. A fleet
+lay there, sent to convey him home, one of the ships having a
+gorgeously-decorated cabin for the infanta,--who was not there to occupy
+it.
+
+Late in the day as it was, Charles was so eager to leave the detested
+soil of Spain, that he put off in a boat after nightfall for the fleet.
+It was a movement not without its peril. The wind blew, the tide was
+strong, the rowers proved helpless against its force, and the boat with
+its precious freight would have been carried out to sea had not one of
+the sailors managed to seize a rope that hung by the side of a ship
+which they were being rapidly swept past. In a few minutes more the
+English prince was on an English deck.
+
+For some days the wind kept the fleet at Santander. All was cordiality
+and festivity between English and Spaniards. Charles concealed his
+change of heart. Buckingham repressed his insolence. On the 18th of
+September the fleet weighed anchor and left the coast of Spain. On the
+5th of October Prince Charles landed at Portsmouth, his romantic
+escapade happily at an end.
+
+He hurried to London with all speed. But rapidly as he went, the news
+of his coming had spread before him. He came without a Spanish bride.
+The people, who despised the whole business and feared its results, were
+wild with delight. When Charles landed from the barge in which he had
+crossed the Thames, he found the streets thronged with applauding
+people, he heard the bells on every side merrily ringing, he heard the
+enthusiastic people shouting, "Long live the Prince of Wales!" All
+London was wild with delight. Their wandering prince had been lost and
+was found again.
+
+The day was turned into a holiday. Tables loaded with food and wine were
+placed in the streets by wealthy citizens, that all who wished might
+partake. Prisoners for debt were set at liberty, their debts being paid
+by persons unknown to them. A cart-load of felons on its way to the
+gallows at Tyburn was turned back, it happening to cross the prince's
+path, and its inmates gained an unlooked-for respite. When night fell
+the town blazed out in illumination, candles being set in every window,
+while bonfires blazed in the streets. In the short distance between St.
+Paul's and London Bridge flamed more than a hundred piles. Carts laden
+with wood were seized by the populace, the horses taken out and the
+torch applied, cart and load together adding their tribute of flame.
+Never had so sudden and spontaneous an ebullition of joy broken out in
+London streets. The return of the prince was a strikingly different
+affair from that mad ride in disguise a few months before, which spread
+suspicion at every step, and filled England with rage when the story
+became known.
+
+We have told the story of the prince's adventure; a few words will tell
+the end of his love-affair. As for Buckingham, he had left England as a
+marquis, he came back with the title of duke. King James had thus
+rewarded him for abetting the folly of his son. The Spanish marriage
+never took place. Charles's love had been lost in his journey home. He
+brought scarce a shred of it back to London. The temper of the English
+people in regard to the concessions to the Catholics was too outspokenly
+hostile to be trifled with. Obstacles arose in the way of the marriage.
+It was postponed. Difficulties appeared on both sides of the water.
+Before the year ended all hopes of it were over, and the negotiations at
+an end. Prince Charles finally took for wife that Princess Henrietta
+Maria of France whom he and Buckingham had first seen dancing in a royal
+masque, during their holiday visit in disguise to Paris. The romance of
+his life was over. The reality was soon to begin.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TAKING OF PONTEFRACT CASTLE._
+
+
+On the top of a lofty hill, with a broad outlook over the counties of
+Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, stood Pontefract Castle, a
+strong work belonging to the English crown, but now in the hands of
+Cromwell's men, and garrisoned by soldiers of the Parliamentary army.
+The war, indeed, was at an end, King Charles in prison, and Cromwell
+lord of the realm, so that further resistance seemed useless.
+
+But now came a rising in Scotland in favor of the king, and many of the
+royalists took heart again, hoping that, while Cromwell was busy with
+the Scotch, there would be risings elsewhere. In their view the war was
+once more afoot, and it would be a notable deed to take Pontefract
+Castle from its Puritan garrison and hold it for the king. Such were the
+inciting causes to the events of which we have now to speak.
+
+There was a Colonel Morrice, who, as a very young man, had been an
+officer in the king's army. He afterwards joined the army of the
+Parliament, where he made friends and did some bold service. Later on,
+the strict discipline of Cromwell's army offended this versatile
+gentleman, and he threw up his commission and retired to his estates,
+where he enjoyed life with much of the Cavalier freedom.
+
+Among his most intimate friends was the Parliamentary governor of
+Pontefract Castle, who enjoyed his society so greatly that he would
+often have him at the castle for a week at a time, they sleeping
+together like brothers. The confiding governor had no suspicion of the
+treasonable disposition of his bed-fellow, and, though warned against
+him, would not listen to complaint.
+
+Morrice was familiar with the project to surprise the fortress, at the
+head of which was Sir Marmaduke Langdale, an old officer of the king. To
+one of the conspirators he said,--
+
+"Do not trouble yourself about this matter. I will surprise the castle
+for you, whenever you think the time ripe for it."
+
+This gentleman thereupon advised the conspirators to wait, and to trust
+him to find means to enter the stronghold. As they had much confidence
+in him, they agreed to his request, without questioning him too closely
+for the grounds of his assurance. Meanwhile, Morrice went to work.
+
+"I should counsel you to take great care that you have none but faithful
+men in the garrison," he said to the governor. "I have reason to suspect
+that there are men in this neighborhood who have designs upon the
+castle; among them some of your frequent visitors."
+
+He gave him a list of names, some of them really conspirators, others
+sound friends of the Parliament.
+
+"You need hardly be troubled about these fellows, however," he said. "I
+have a friend in their counsel, and am sure to be kept posted as to
+their plans. And for that matter I can, in short notice, bring you forty
+or fifty safe men to strengthen your garrison, should occasion arise."
+
+He made himself also familiar with the soldiers of the garrison, playing
+and drinking with them; and when sleeping there would often rise at
+night and visit the guards, sometimes inducing the governor, by
+misrepresentations, to dismiss a faithful man, and replace him by one in
+his own confidence.
+
+So the affair went on, Morrice laying his plans with much skill and
+caution. As it proved, however, the conspirators became impatient to
+execute the affair before it was fully ripe. Scotland was in arms; there
+were alarms elsewhere in the kingdom; Cromwell was likely to have enough
+to occupy him; delay seemed needless. They told the gentleman who had
+asked them to wait that he must act at once. He in his turn advised
+Morrice, who lost no time in completing his plans.
+
+On a certain night fixed by him the surprise-party were to be ready with
+ladders, which they must erect in two places against the wall. Morrice
+would see that safe sentinels were posted at these points. At a signal
+agreed upon they were to mount the ladders and break into the castle.
+
+The night came. Morrice was in the castle, where he shared the
+governor's bed. At the hour arranged he rose and sought the walls. He
+was just in time to prevent the failure of the enterprise. Unknown to
+him, one of the sentinels had been changed. Those without gave the
+signal. One of the sentinels answered it. The surprise-party ran forward
+with both ladders.
+
+Morrice, a moment afterwards, heard a cry of alarm from the other
+sentinel, and hasting forward found him running back to call the guard.
+He looked at him. It was the wrong man! There had been some mistake.
+
+"What is amiss?" he asked.
+
+"There are men under the wall," replied the soldier. "Some villainy is
+afoot."
+
+"Oh, come, that cannot be."
+
+"It is. I saw them."
+
+"I don't believe you, sirrah," said Morrice, severely. "You have been
+frightened by a shadow. Come, show me the place. Don't make yourself a
+laughing-stock for your fellows."
+
+The sentinel turned and led the way to the top of the wall. He pointed
+down.
+
+"There; do you see?" he asked.
+
+His words stopped there, for at that instant he found himself clasped by
+strong arms, and in a minute more was thrown toppling from the wall.
+Morrice had got rid of the dangerous sentry.
+
+By this time the ladders were up, and some of those without had reached
+the top of the wall. They signalled to their friends at a distance, and
+rushed to the court of guard, whose inmates they speedily mastered,
+after knocking two or three of them upon the head. The gates were now
+thrown open, and a strong body of horse and foot who waited outside rode
+in.
+
+The castle was won. Morrice led a party to the governor's chamber, told
+him that "the castle was surprised and himself a prisoner," and advised
+him to surrender. The worthy governor seized his arms and dealt some
+blows, but was quickly disarmed, and Pontefract was again a castle of
+the king.
+
+So ended the first act in this drama. There was a second act to be
+played, in which Cromwell was to take a hand. The garrison was quickly
+reinforced by royalists from the surrounding counties; the castle was
+well provisioned and its fortifications strengthened; contributions were
+raised from neighboring parts; and the marauding excursions of the
+garrison soon became so annoying that an earnest appeal was made to
+Cromwell, "that he would make it the business of his army to reduce
+Pontefract."
+
+Just then Cromwell had other business for his army. The Scots were in
+the field. He was marching to reduce them. Pontefract must wait. He
+sent, however, two or three regiments, which, with aid from the
+counties, he deemed would be sufficient for the work.
+
+Events moved rapidly. Before the Parliamentarian troops under
+Rainsborough reached the castle, Cromwell had met and defeated the army
+of Scots, taking, among other prisoners, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, whom
+the Parliament threatened to make "an example of their justice."
+
+The men of Pontefract looked on Sir Marmaduke as their leader.
+Rainsborough was approaching the castle, but was still at some distance.
+It was deemed a worthy enterprise to take him prisoner, if possible and
+hold him as hostage for Sir Marmaduke. Morrice took on himself this
+difficult and dangerous enterprise.
+
+At nightfall, with a party of twelve picked and choice men, he left the
+castle and made his way towards the town which Rainsborough then
+occupied. The whole party knew the roads well, and about daybreak
+reached the point for which they had aimed,--the common road leading
+from York. The movement had been shrewdly planned. The guards looked for
+no enemy from this direction, and carelessly asked the party of strange
+horsemen "whence they came."
+
+The answer was given with studied ease and carelessness.
+
+"Where is your general?" asked Morrice. "I have a letter for him from
+Cromwell."
+
+The guard sent one of their number with the party to show them where
+Rainsborough might be found,--at the best inn of the town. When the
+inn-gate was opened in response to their demand, three only of the party
+entered. The others rode onward to the bridge at the opposite end of the
+town, on the road leading to Pontefract. Here they found a guard of
+horse and foot, with whom they entered into easy conversation.
+
+"We are waiting for our officer," they said. "He went in to speak to
+the general. Is there anything convenient to drink? We have had a dry
+ride."
+
+The guards sent for some drink, and, it being now broad day, gave over
+their vigilance, some of the horse-soldiers alighting, while the footmen
+sought their court of guard, fancying that their hour of duty was
+passed.
+
+Meanwhile, tragical work was going on at the inn. Nobody had been awake
+there but the man who opened the gate. They asked him where the general
+lay. He pointed up to the chamber-door, and two of them ascended the
+stairs, leaving the third to hold the horses and in conversation with
+the soldier who had acted as their guide.
+
+Rainsborough was still in bed, but awakened on their entrance and asked
+them who they were and what they wanted.
+
+"It is yourself we want," they replied. "You are our prisoner. It is for
+you to choose whether you prefer to be killed, or quietly to put on your
+clothes, mount a horse which is ready below for you, and go with us to
+Pontefract."
+
+He looked at them in surprise. They evidently meant what they said;
+their voices were firm, their arms ready; he rose and dressed quickly.
+This completed, they led him down-stairs, one of them carrying his
+sword.
+
+When they reached the street only one man was to be seen. The soldier of
+the guard had been sent away to order them some breakfast. The
+prisoner, seeing one man only where he had looked for a troop,
+struggled to escape and called loudly for help.
+
+It was evident that he could not be carried off; the moment was
+critical; a few minutes might bring a force that it would be madness to
+resist; but they had not come thus far and taken this risk for nothing.
+He would not go; they had no time to force him; only one thing remained:
+they ran him through with their swords and left him dead upon the
+ground. Then, mounting, they rode in haste for the bridge.
+
+Those there knew what they were to do. The approach of their comrades
+was the signal for action. They immediately drew their weapons and
+attacked those with whom they had been in pleasant conversation. In a
+brief time several of the guard were killed and the others in full
+flight. The road was clear. The others came up. A minute more and they
+were away, in full flight, upon the shortest route to Pontefract,
+leaving the soldiers of the town in consternation, for the general was
+soon found dead, with no one to say how he had been killed. Not a soul
+had seen the tragic deed. In due time Morrice and his men reached
+Pontefract, without harm to horse or man, but lacking the hoped-for
+prisoner, and having left death and vengeance behind them.
+
+So far all had gone well with the garrison. Henceforth all promised to
+go ill. Pontefract was the one place in England that held out against
+Cromwell, the last stronghold of the king. And its holders had angered
+the great leader of the Ironsides by killing one of his most valued
+officers. Retribution was demanded. General Lambert was sent with a
+strong force to reduce the castle.
+
+The works were strong, and not easily to be taken by assault. They might
+be taken by hunger. Lambert soon had the castle surrounded, cooping the
+garrison closely within its own precincts.
+
+Against this they protested,--in the martial manner. Many bold sallies
+were made, in which numbers on both sides lost their lives. Lambert soon
+discovered that certain persons in the country around were in
+correspondence with the garrison, sending them information. Of these he
+made short work, according to the military ethics of that day. They were
+seized and hanged within sight of the castle, among them being two
+divines and some women of note, friends of the besieged. Some might call
+this murder. They called it war,--a salutary example.
+
+Finding themselves closely confined within their walls, their friends
+outside hanged, no hope of relief, starvation their ultimate fate, the
+garrison concluded at length that it was about time to treat for terms
+of peace. All England besides was in the hands of Cromwell and the
+Parliament; there was nothing to be gained by this one fortress holding
+out, unless it were the gallows. They therefore offered to deliver up
+the castle, if they might have honorable conditions. If not, they
+said,--
+
+"We are still well stocked with provisions, and can hold out for a long
+time. If we are assured of pardon we will yield; if not, we are ready to
+die, and will not sell our lives for less than a good price."
+
+"I know you for gallant men," replied Lambert, "and am ready to grant
+life and liberty to as many of you as I can. But there are six among you
+whose lives I cannot save. I am sorry for this, for they are brave men;
+but my hands are bound."
+
+"Who are the six? And what have they done that they should be beyond
+mercy?"
+
+"They were concerned in the death of Rainsborough. I do not desire their
+death, but Cromwell is incensed against them."
+
+He named the six. They were Colonel Morrice, Sir John Digby, and four
+others who had been in the party of twelve.
+
+"These must be delivered up without conditions," he continued. "The rest
+of you may return to your homes, and apply to the Parliament for release
+from all prosecution. In this I will lend you my aid."
+
+The leaders of the garrison debated this proposal, and after a short
+time returned their answer.
+
+"We acknowledge your clemency and courtesy," they said, "and would be
+glad to accept your terms did they not involve a base desertion of some
+of our fellows. We cannot do as you say, but will make this offer. Give
+us six days, and let these six men do what they can to deliver
+themselves, we to have the privilege of assisting them. This much we ask
+for our honor."
+
+"Do you agree to surrender the castle and all within it at the end of
+that time?" asked Lambert.
+
+"We pledge ourselves to that."
+
+"Then I accept your proposal. Six days' grace shall be allowed you."
+
+Just what they proposed to do for the release of their proscribed
+companions did not appear. The castle was closely and strongly invested,
+and these men were neither rats nor birds. How did they hope to escape?
+
+The first day of the six passed and nothing was done. A strong party of
+the garrison had made its appearance two or three times, as if resolved
+upon a sally; but each time they retired, apparently not liking the
+outlook. On the second day they were bolder. They suddenly appeared at a
+different point from that threatened the day before, and attacked the
+besiegers with such spirit as to drive them from their posts, both sides
+losing men. In the end the sallying party was driven back, but two of
+the six--Morrice being one--had broken through and made their escape.
+The other four were forced to retire.
+
+Two days now passed without a movement on the part of the garrison. Four
+of the six men still remained in the castle. The evening of the fourth
+day came. The gloom of night gathered. Suddenly a strong party from the
+garrison emerged from a sally-port and rushed upon the lines of the
+besiegers with such fire and energy that they were for a time broken,
+and two more of the proscribed escaped. The others were driven back.
+
+The morning of the fifth day dawned. Four days had gone, and four of the
+proscribed men were free. How were the other two to gain their liberty?
+The method so far pursued could scarcely be successful again. The
+besiegers would be too heedfully on the alert. Some of the garrison had
+lost their lives in aiding the four to escape. It was too dangerous an
+experiment to be repeated, with their lives assured them if they
+remained in the castle. What was to be done for the safety of the other
+two? The matter was thoroughly debated and a plan devised.
+
+On the morning of the sixth day the besieged made a great show of joy,
+calling from the walls that their six friends had gone, and that they
+would be ready to surrender the next day. This news was borne to
+Lambert, who did not believe a word of it, the escape of the four men
+not having been observed. Meanwhile, the garrison proceeded to put in
+effect their stratagem.
+
+The castle was a large one, its rooms many and spacious. Nor was it all
+in repair. Here and there walls had fallen and not been rebuilt, and
+abundance of waste stones strewed the ground in these localities.
+Seeking a place which was least likely to be visited, they walled up the
+two proscribed men, building the wall in such a manner that air could
+enter and that they might have some room for movement. Giving them food
+enough to last for thirty days, they closed the chamber, and left the
+two men in their tomb-like retreat.
+
+The sixth day came. The hour fixed arrived. The gates were thrown open.
+Lambert and his men marched in and took possession of the fortress. The
+garrison was marshalled before him, and a strict search made among them
+for the six men, whom he fully expected to find. They were not there.
+The castle was closely searched. They could not be found. He was
+compelled to admit that the garrison had told him the truth, and that
+the six had indeed escaped.
+
+For this Lambert did not seem in any sense sorry. The men were brave.
+Their act had been one allowable in war. He was secretly rather glad
+that they had escaped, and treated the others courteously, permitting
+them to leave the castle with their effects and seek their homes, as he
+had promised. And so ended the taking and retaking of Pontefract Castle.
+
+It was the last stronghold of the king in England, and was not likely to
+be used again for that purpose. But to prevent this, Lambert handled it
+in such fashion that it was left a vast pile of ruins, unfit to harbor a
+garrison. He then drew off his troops, not having discovered the
+concealed men in this proceeding. Ten days passed. Then the two flung
+down their wall and emerged among the ruins. They found the castle a
+place for bats, uninhabited by man, but lost no time in seeking less
+suspicious quarters.
+
+Of the six men, Morrice was afterwards taken and executed; the others
+remained free. Sir John Digby lived to become a favored member of the
+court of Charles II. As for Sir Marmaduke Langdale, to whose
+imprisonment Rainsborough owed his death, he escaped from his prison in
+Nottingham Castle, and made his way beyond the seas, not to return until
+England again had a king.
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF A ROYAL FUGITIVE._
+
+
+It was early September of 1651, the year that tolled the knell of
+royalty in England. In all directions from the fatal field of Worcester
+panic-stricken fugitives were flying; in all directions blood-craving
+victors were pursuing. Charles I. had lost his head for his blind
+obstinacy, two years before. Charles II., crowned king by the Scotch,
+had made a gallant fight for the throne. But Cromwell was his opponent,
+and Cromwell carried victory on his banners. The young king had invaded
+England, reached Worcester, and there felt the heavy hand of the
+Protector and his Ironsides. A fierce day's struggle, a defeat, a
+flight, and kingship in England was at an end while Cromwell lived; the
+last scion of royalty was a flying fugitive.
+
+At six o'clock in the evening of that fatal day, Charles, the boy-king,
+discrowned by battle, was flying through St. Martin's Gate from a city
+whose streets were filled with the bleeding bodies of his late
+supporters. Just outside the town he tried to rally his men; but in
+vain, no fight was left in their scared hearts. Nothing remained but
+flight at panic speed, for the bloodhounds of war were on his track, and
+if caught by those stern Parliamentarians he might be given the short
+shriving of his beheaded father. Away went the despairing prince with a
+few followers, riding for life, flinging from him as he rode his blue
+ribbon and garter and all his princely ornaments, lest pursuers should
+know him by these insignia of royalty. On for twelve hours Charles and
+his companions galloped at racing speed, onward through the whole night
+following that day of blood and woe; and at break of day on September 4
+they reached Whiteladies, a friendly house of refuge in Severn's fertile
+valley.
+
+The story of the after-adventures of the fugitive prince is so replete
+with hair-breadth escapes, disguises, refreshing instances of fidelity,
+and startling incidents, as to render it one of the most romantic tales
+to be found in English history. A thousand pounds were set upon his
+head, yet none, peasant or peer, proved false to him. He was sheltered
+alike in cottage and hall; more than a score of people knew of his
+route, yet not a word of betrayal was spoken, not a thought of betrayal
+was entertained; and the agents of the Protector vainly scoured the
+country in all directions for the princely fugitive, who found himself
+surrounded by a loyalty worthy a better man, and was at last enabled to
+leave the country in Cromwell's despite.
+
+Let us follow the fugitive prince in his flight. Reaching Whiteladies,
+he found a loyal friend in its proprietor. No sooner was it known in the
+mansion that the field of Worcester had been lost, and that the flying
+prince had sought shelter within its walls, than all was haste and
+excitement.
+
+"You must not remain here," declared Mr. Gifford, one of his companions.
+"The house is too open. The pursuers will be here within the hour.
+Measures for your safety must be taken at once."
+
+"The first of which is disguise," said Charles.
+
+His long hair was immediately cut off, his face and hands stained a dark
+hue, and the coarse and threadbare clothing of a peasant provided to
+take the place of his rich attire. Thus dressed and disguised, the royal
+fugitive looked like anything but a king.
+
+"But your features will betray you," said the cautious Gifford. "Many of
+these men know your face. You must seek a safer place of refuge."
+
+Hurried movements followed. The few friends who had accompanied Charles
+took to the road again, knowing that their presence would endanger him,
+and hoping that their flight might lead the bloodhounds of pursuit
+astray. They gone, the loyal master of Whiteladies sent for certain of
+his employees whom he could trust. These were six brothers named
+Penderell, laborers and woodmen in his service, Catholics, and devoted
+to the royal family.
+
+"This is the king," he said to William Penderell; "you must have a care
+of him, and preserve him as you did me."
+
+Thick woodland adjoined the mansion of Whiteladies. Into this the
+youthful prince was led by Richard Penderell, one of the brothers. It
+was now broad day. Through the forest went the two seeming peasants, to
+its farther side, where a broad highway ran past. Here, peering through
+the bushes, they saw a troop of horse ride by, evidently not old
+soldiers, more like the militia who made up part of Cromwell's army.
+
+These countrified warriors looked around them. Should they enter the
+woods? Some of the Scottish rogues, mayhap Charles Stuart, their royal
+leader, himself, might be there in hiding. But it had begun to rain, and
+by good fortune the shower poured down in torrents upon the woodland,
+while little rain fell upon the heath beyond. To the countrymen, who had
+but begun to learn the trade of soldiers, the certainty of a dry skin
+was better than the forlorn chance of a flying prince. They rode rapidly
+on to escape a drenching, much to the relief of the lurking observers.
+
+"The rogues are hunting me close," said the prince, "and by our Lady,
+this waterfall isn't of the pleasantest. Let us get back into the thick
+of the woods."
+
+Penderell led the way to a dense glade, where he spread a blanket which
+he had brought with him under one of the most thick-leaved trees, to
+protect the prince from the soaked ground. Hither his sister, Mrs.
+Yates, brought a supply of food, consisting of bread, butter, eggs, and
+milk. Charles looked at her with grateful eyes.
+
+"My good woman," he said, "can you be faithful to a distressed
+cavalier?"
+
+"I will die sooner than betray you," was her devoted answer.
+
+Charles ate his rustic meal with a more hopeful heart than he had had
+since leaving Worcester's field. The loyal devotion of these humble
+friends cheered him up greatly.
+
+As night came on the rain ceased. No sooner had darkness settled upon
+the wood than the prince and his guide started towards the Severn, it
+being his purpose to make his way, if possible, into Wales, in some of
+whose ports a vessel might be found to take him abroad. Their route took
+them past a mill. It was quite dark, yet they could make out the miller
+by his white clothes, as he sat at the mill-door. The flour-sprinkled
+fellow heard their footsteps in the darkness, and called out,--
+
+"Who goes there?"
+
+"Neighbors going home," answered Richard Penderell.
+
+"If you be neighbors, stand, or I will knock you down," cried the
+suspicious miller, reaching behind the door for his cudgel.
+
+"Follow me," said Penderell, quietly, to the prince. "I fancy master
+miller is not alone."
+
+They ran swiftly along a lane and up a hill, opening a gate at the top
+of it. The miller followed, yelling out, "Rogues! rogues! Come on, lads;
+catch these runaways."
+
+He was joined by several men who came from the mill, and a sharp chase
+began along a deep and dirty lane, Charles and his guide running until
+they were tired out. They had distanced their pursuers; no sound of
+footsteps could be heard behind them.
+
+"Let us leap the hedge, and lie behind it to see if they are still on
+our track," said the prince.
+
+This they did, and lay there for half an hour, listening intently for
+pursuers. Then, as it seemed evident that the miller and his men had
+given up the chase, they rose and walked on.
+
+At a village near by lived an honest gentleman named Woolfe, who had
+hiding-places in his house for priests. Day was at hand, and travelling
+dangerous. Penderell proposed to go on and ask shelter from this person
+for an English gentleman who dared not travel by day.
+
+"Go, but look that you do not betray my name," said the prince.
+
+Penderell left his royal charge in a field, sheltered under a hedge
+beside a great tree, and sought Mr. Woolfe's house, to whose questions
+he replied that the person seeking shelter was a fugitive from the
+battle of Worcester.
+
+"Then I cannot harbor him," was the good man's reply. "It is too
+dangerous a business. I will not venture my neck for any man, unless it
+be the king himself."
+
+"Then you will for this man, for you have hit the mark; it is the king,"
+replied the guide, quite forgetting the injunction given him.
+
+"Bring him, then, in God's name," said Mr. Woolfe. "I will risk all I
+have to help him."
+
+Charles was troubled when he heard the story of his loose-tongued guide.
+But there was no help for it now. The villager must be trusted. They
+sought Mr. Woolfe's house by the rear entrance, the prince receiving a
+warm but anxious welcome from the loyal old gentleman.
+
+"I am sorry you are here, for the place is perilous," said the host.
+"There are two companies of militia in the village who keep a guard on
+the ferry, to stop any one from escaping that way. As for my
+hiding-places, they have all been discovered, and it is not safe to put
+you in any of them. I can offer you no shelter but in my barn, where you
+can lie behind the corn and hay."
+
+The prince was grateful even for this sorry shelter, and spent all that
+day hidden in the hay, feasting on some cold meat which his host had
+given him. The next night he set out for Richard Penderell's house, Mr.
+Woolfe having told him that it was not safe to try the Severn, it being
+closely guarded at all its fords and bridges. On their way they came
+again near the mill. Not caring to be questioned as before by the
+suspicious miller, they diverged towards the river.
+
+"Can you swim?" asked Charles of his guide.
+
+"Not I; and the river is a scurvy one."
+
+"I've a mind to try it," said the prince. "It's a small stream at the
+best, and I may help you over."
+
+They crossed some fields to the river-side, and Charles entered the
+water, leaving his attendant on the bank. He waded forward, and soon
+found that the water came but little above his waist.
+
+"Give me your hand," he said, returning. "There's no danger of drowning
+in this water."
+
+Leading his guide, he soon stood on the safe side of that river the
+passage of which had given him so many anxious minutes.
+
+Towards morning they reached the house of a Mr. Whitgrave, a Catholic,
+whom the prince could trust. Here he found in hiding a Major Careless, a
+fugitive officer from the defeated army. Charles revealed himself to the
+major, and held a conference with him, asking him what he had best do.
+
+"It will be very dangerous for you to stay here; the hue and cry is up,
+and no place is safe from search," said the major. "It is not you alone
+they are after, but all of our side. There is a great wood near by
+Boscobel house, but I would not like to venture that, either. The enemy
+will certainly search there. My advice is that we climb into a great,
+thick-leaved oak-tree that stands near the woods, but in an open place,
+where we can see around us."
+
+"Faith, I like your scheme, major," said Charles, briskly. "It is thick
+enough to hide us, you think?"
+
+"Yes; it was lopped a few years ago, and has grown out again very close
+and bushy. We will be as safe there as behind a thick-set hedge."
+
+"So let it be, then," said the prince.
+
+Obtaining some food from their host,--bread, cheese, and small beer,
+enough for the day,--the two fugitives, Charles and Careless, climbed
+into what has since been known as the "royal oak," and remained there
+the whole day, looking down in safety on soldiers who were searching
+the wood for royalist fugitives. From time to time, indeed, parties of
+search passed under the very tree which bore such royal fruit, and the
+prince and the major heard their chat with no little amusement.
+
+Charles light-hearted by nature, and a mere boy in years,--he had just
+passed twenty-one,--was rising above the heavy sense of depression which
+had hitherto borne him down. His native temperament was beginning to
+declare itself, and he and the major, couched like squirrels in their
+leafy covert, laughed quietly to themselves at the baffled searchers,
+while they ate their bread and cheese with fresh appetites.
+
+When night had fallen they left the tree, and the prince, parting with
+his late companion, sought a neighboring house where he was promised
+shelter in one of those hiding-places provided for proscribed priests.
+Here he found Lord Wilmot, one of the officers who had escaped with him
+from the fatal field of Worcester, and who had left him at Whiteladies.
+
+It is too much to tell in detail all the movements that followed. The
+search for Prince Charles continued with unrelenting severity. Daily,
+noble and plebeian officers of the defeated army were seized. The
+country was being scoured, high and low. Frequently the prince saw the
+forms or heard the voices of those who sought him diligently. But "Will
+Jones," the woodman, was not easily to be recognized as Charles Stuart,
+the prince. He was dressed in the shabbiest of weather-worn suits, his
+hair cut short to his ears, his face embrowned, his head covered with an
+old and greasy gray steeple hat, with turned-up brims, his ungloved and
+stained hands holding for cane a long and crooked thorn-stick.
+Altogether it was a very unprincely individual who roamed those
+peril-haunted shires of England.
+
+The two fugitives--Prince Charles and Lord Wilmot--now turned their
+steps towards the seaport of Bristol, hoping there to find means of
+passage to France. Their last place of refuge in Staffordshire was at
+the house of Colonel Lane, of Bently, an earnest royalist. Here Charles
+dropped his late name, and assumed that of Will Jackson. He threw off
+his peasant's garb, put on the livery of a servant, and set off on
+horseback with his seeming mistress, Miss Jane Lane, sister of the
+colonel, who had suddenly become infected with the desire of visiting a
+cousin at Abbotsleigh, near Bristol. The prince had now become a lady's
+groom, but he proved an awkward one, and had to be taught the duties of
+his office.
+
+"Will," said the colonel, as they were about to start, "you must give my
+sister your hand to help her to mount."
+
+The new groom gave her the wrong hand. Old Mrs. Lane, mother to the
+colonel, who saw the starting, but knew not the secret, turned to her
+son, saying satirically,--
+
+"What a goodly horseman my daughter has got to ride before her!"
+
+To ride before her it was, for, in the fashion of the day, groom and
+mistress occupied one horse, the groom in front, the mistress behind.
+Not two hours had they ridden, before the horse cast a shoe. A road-side
+village was at hand, and they stopped to have the bare hoof shod. The
+seeming groom held the horse's foot, while the smith hammered at the
+nails. As they did so an amusing conversation took place.
+
+"What news have you?" asked Charles.
+
+"None worth the telling," answered the smith; "nothing has happened
+since the beating of those rogues, the Scots."
+
+"Have any of the English, that joined hands with the Scots, been taken?"
+asked Charles.
+
+"Some of them, they tell me," answered the smith, hammering sturdily at
+the shoe; "but I do not hear that that rogue, Charles Stuart, has been
+taken yet."
+
+"Faith," answered the prince, "if he should be taken, he deserves
+hanging more than all the rest, for bringing the Scots upon English
+soil."
+
+"You speak well, gossip, and like an honest man," rejoined the smith,
+heartily. "And there's your shoe, fit for a week's travel on hard
+roads."
+
+And so they parted, the king merrily telling his mistress the joke, when
+safely out of reach of the smith's ears.
+
+There is another amusing story told of this journey. Stopping at a house
+near Stratford-upon-Avon, "Will Jackson" was sent to the kitchen, as
+the groom's place. Here he found a buxom cook-maid, engaged in preparing
+supper.
+
+"Wind up the jack for me," said the maid to her supposed fellow-servant.
+
+Charles, nothing loath, proceeded to do so. But he knew much less about
+handling a jack than a sword, and awkwardly wound it up the wrong way.
+The cook looked at him scornfully, and broke out in angry tones,--
+
+"What countrymen are you, that you know not how to wind up a jack?"
+
+Charles answered her contritely, repressing the merry twinkle in his
+eye.
+
+"I am a poor tenant's son of Colonel Lane, in Staffordshire," he said;
+"we seldom have roast meat, and when we have, we don't make use of a
+jack."
+
+"That's not saying much for your Staffordshire cooks, and less for your
+larders," replied the maid, with a head-toss of superiority.
+
+The house where this took place still stands, with the old jack hanging
+beside the fireplace; and those who have seen it of late years do not
+wonder that Charles was puzzled how to wind it up. It might puzzle a
+wiser man.
+
+There is another story in which the prince played his part as a kitchen
+servant. It is said that the soldiers got so close upon his track that
+they sought the house in which he was, not leaving a room in it
+unvisited. Finally they made their way to the kitchen, where was the man
+they sought, with a servant-maid who knew him. Charles looked around in
+nervous fear. His pursuers had never been so near him. Doubtless, for
+the moment, he gave up the game as lost. But the loyal cook was mistress
+of the situation. She struck her seeming fellow-servant a smart rap with
+the basting-ladle, and called out, shrewishly,--
+
+[Illustration: SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON.]
+
+"Now, then, go on with thy work; what art thou looking about for?"
+
+The soldiers laughed as Charles sprang up with a sheepish aspect, and
+they turned away without a thought that in this servant lad lay hidden
+the prince they sought.
+
+On September 13, ten days after the battle, Miss Lane and her groom
+reached Abbotsleigh, where they took refuge at the house of Mr. Norton,
+Colonel Lane's cousin. To the great regret of the fugitive, he learned
+here that there was no vessel in the port of Bristol that would serve
+his purpose of flight. He remained in the house for four days, under his
+guise of a servant, but was given a chamber of his own, on pretence of
+indisposition. He was just well of an ague, said his mistress. He was,
+indeed, somewhat worn out with fatigue and anxiety, though of a
+disposition that would not long let him endure hunger or loneliness.
+
+In fact, on the very morning after his arrival he made an early
+toilette, and went to the buttery-hatch for his breakfast. Here were
+several servants, Pope, the butler, among them. Bread and butter seems
+to have been the staple of the morning meal, though the butler made it
+more palatable by a liberal addition of ale and sack. As they ate they
+were entertained by a minute account of the battle of Worcester, given
+by a country fellow who sat beside Charles at table, and whom he
+concluded, from the accuracy of his description, to have been one of
+Cromwell's soldiers.
+
+Charles asked him how he came to know so well what took place, and was
+told in reply that he had been in the king's regiment. On being
+questioned more closely, it proved that he had really been in Charles's
+own regiment of guards.
+
+"What kind of man was he you call the king?" asked Charles, with an
+assumed air of curiosity.
+
+The fellow replied with an accurate description of the dress worn by the
+prince during the battle, and of the horse he rode. He looked at Charles
+on concluding.
+
+"He was at least three fingers taller than you," he said.
+
+The buttery was growing too hot for Will Jackson. What if, in another
+look, this fellow should get a nearer glimpse at the truth? The
+disguised prince made a hasty excuse for leaving the place, being, as he
+says, "more afraid when I knew he was one of our own soldiers, than when
+I took him for one of the enemy's."
+
+This alarm was soon followed by a greater one. One of his companions
+came to him in a state of intense affright.
+
+"What shall we do?" he cried. "I am afraid Pope, the butler, knows you.
+He has said very positively to me that it is you, but I have denied it."
+
+"We are in a dangerous strait, indeed," said Charles. "There is nothing
+for it, as I see, but to trust the man with our secret. Boldness, in
+cases like this, is better than distrust. Send Pope to me."
+
+The butler was accordingly sent, and Charles, with a flattering show of
+candor, told him who he was, and requested his silence and aid. He had
+taken the right course, as it proved. Pope was of loyal blood. He could
+not have found a more intelligent and devoted adherent than the butler
+showed himself during the remainder of his stay in that house.
+
+But the attentions shown the prince were compromising, in consideration
+of his disguise as a groom; suspicions were likely to be aroused, and it
+was felt necessary that he should seek a new asylum. One was found at
+Trent House, in the same county, the residence of a fervent royalist
+named Colonel Windham. Charles remained here, and in this vicinity, till
+the 6th of October, seeking in vain the means of escape from one of the
+neighboring ports. The coast proved to be too closely watched, however;
+and in the end soldiers began to arrive in the neighborhood, and the
+rumor spread that Colonel Windham's house was suspected. There was
+nothing for it but another flight, which, this time, brought him into
+Wiltshire, where he took refuge at Hele House, the residence of Mr.
+Hyde.
+
+Charles himself tells an interesting story of one of his adventures
+while at Trent House. He, with some companions, had ridden to a place
+called Burport, where they were to wait for Lord Wilmot, who had gone to
+Lyme, four miles farther, to look after a possible vessel. As they came
+near Burport they saw that the streets were full of red-coats,
+Cromwell's soldiers, there being a whole regiment in the town.
+
+"What shall we do?" asked Colonel Windham, greatly startled at the
+sight.
+
+"Do? why face it out impudently, go to the best hotel in the place, and
+take a room there," said Charles. "It is the only safe thing to do. And
+otherwise we would miss Lord Wilmot, which would be inconvenient to both
+of us."
+
+Windham gave in, and they rode boldly forward to the chief inn of the
+place. The yard was filled with soldiers. Charles, as the groom of the
+party, alighted, took the horses, and purposely led them in a blundering
+way through the midst of the soldiers to the stable. Some of the
+red-coats angrily cursed him for his rudeness, but he went serenely on,
+as if soldiers were no more to him than flies.
+
+Reaching the stable, he took the bridles from the horses, and called to
+the hostler to give them some oats.
+
+"Sure," said the hostler, peering at him closely, "I know your face."
+
+This was none too pleasant a greeting for the disguised prince, but he
+put on a serene countenance, and asked the man whether he had always
+lived at that place.
+
+"No," said the hostler. "I was born in Exeter, and was hostler in an inn
+there near Mr. Potter's, a great merchant of that town."
+
+"Then you must have seen me at Mr. Potter's," said Charles. "I lived
+with him over a year."
+
+"That is it," answered the hostler. "I remember you a boy there. Let us
+go drink a pot of beer on it."
+
+Charles excused himself, saying that he must go look after his master's
+dinner, and he lost little time in getting out of that town, lest some
+one else might have as inconvenient and less doubtful a memory.
+
+While the prince was flying, his foes were pursuing. The fact that the
+royal army was scattered was not enough for the politic mind of
+Cromwell. Its leader was still at large, somewhere in England; while he
+remained free all was at risk. Those turbulent Scotch might be again
+raised. A new Dunbar or Worcester might be fought, with different
+fortune. The flying Charles Stuart must be held captive within the
+country, and made prisoner within a fortress as soon as possible. In
+consequence, the coast was sedulously watched to prevent his escape, and
+the country widely searched, the houses of known royalists being
+particularly placed under surveillance; a large reward was offered for
+the arrest of the fugitive; the party of the Parliament was everywhere
+on the alert for him; only the good faith and sound judgment of his
+friends kept him from the hands of his foes.
+
+At Hele House, the fugitive was near the Sussex coast, and his friends
+hoped that a passage to France might be secured from some of its small
+ports. They succeeded at length. On October 13, in early morning, the
+prince, with a few loyal companions, left his last hiding-place. They
+took dogs with them, as if they were off for a hunting excursion to the
+downs.
+
+That night they spent at Hambledon, in Hampshire. Colonel Gunter, one of
+the party, led the way to the house of his brother-in-law, though
+without notifying him of his purpose. The master of the house was
+absent, but returned while the party were at supper, and was surprised
+to find a group of hilarious guests around his table. Colonel Gunter was
+among them, however, and explained that he had taken the privilege of
+kinship to use his house as his own.
+
+The worthy squire, who loved good cheer and good society, was nothing
+loath to join this lively company, though in his first surprise to find
+his house invaded a round Cavalier oath broke from his lips. To his
+astonishment, he was taken to task for this by a crop-haired member of
+the company, who reproved him in true Puritan phrase for his profanity.
+
+"Whom have you here, Gunter?" the squire asked his brother-in-law.
+"This fellow is not of your sort. I warrant me the canting chap is some
+round-headed rogue's son."
+
+"Not a bit of it," answered the colonel. "He is true Cavalier, though he
+does wear his hair somewhat of the shortest, and likes not oaths. He's
+one of us, I promise you."
+
+"Then here's your health, brother Roundhead!" exclaimed the host,
+heartily, draining a brimming glass of ale to his unknown guest.
+
+The prince, before the feast was over, grew gay enough to prove that he
+was no Puritan, though he retained sufficient caution in his cups not
+further to arouse his worthy host's suspicions. The next day they
+reached a small fishing-village, then known as Brighthelstone, now grown
+into the great town of Brighton. Here lay the vessel which had been
+engaged. The master of the craft, Anthony Tattersall by name, with the
+merchant who had engaged his vessel, supped with the party at the
+village inn. It was a jovial meal. The prince, glad at the near approach
+of safety, allowed himself some freedom of speech. Captain Tattersall
+watched him closely throughout the meal. After supper he drew his
+merchant friend aside, and said to him,--
+
+"You have not dealt fairly with me in this business. You have paid me a
+good price to carry over that gentleman; I do not complain of that; but
+you should have been more open. He is the king, as I very well know."
+
+"You are very much mistaken, captain," protested the merchant,
+nervously. "What has put such nonsense into your pate?"
+
+"I am not mistaken," persisted the captain. "He took my ship in '48,
+with other fishing-craft of this port, when he commanded his father's
+fleet. I know his face too well to be deceived. But don't be troubled at
+that; I think I do my God and my country good service in preserving the
+king; and by the grace of God, I will venture my life and all for him,
+and set him safely on shore, if I can, in France."
+
+Happily for Charles, he had found a friend instead of a foe in this
+critical moment of his adventure. He found another, for the mariner was
+not the only one who knew his face. As he stood by the fire, with his
+palm resting on the back of a chair, the inn-keeper came suddenly up and
+kissed his hand.
+
+"God bless you wheresoever you go!" he said, fervently. "I do not doubt,
+before I die, to be a lord, and my wife a lady."
+
+Charles burst into a hearty laugh at this ambitious remark of his host.
+He had been twice discovered within the hour, after a month and a half
+of impunity. Yet he felt that he could put full trust in these worthy
+men, and slept soundly that last night on English soil.
+
+At five o'clock of the next morning, he, with Lord Wilmot, his constant
+companion, went on board the little sixty-ton craft, which lay in
+Shoreham harbor, waiting the tide to put to sea. By daybreak they were
+on the waves. The prince was resting in the cabin, when in came Captain
+Tattersall, kissed his hand, professed devotion to his interests, and
+suggested a course for him to pursue.
+
+His crew, he said, had been shipped for the English port of Poole. To
+head for France might cause suspicion. He advised Charles to represent
+himself as a merchant who was in debt and afraid of arrest in England,
+and who wished to reach France to collect money due him at Rouen. If he
+would tell this story to the sailors, and gain their good-will, it might
+save future trouble.
+
+Charles entered freely into this conspiracy, went on deck, talked
+affably with the crew, told them the story concocted by the captain, and
+soon had them so fully on his side, that they joined him in begging the
+captain to change his course and land his passengers in France. Captain
+Tattersall demurred somewhat at this, but soon let himself be convinced,
+and headed his ship for the Gallic coast.
+
+The wind was fair, the weather fine. Land was sighted before noon of the
+16th. At one o'clock the prince and Lord Wilmot were landed at Fecamp, a
+small French port. They had distanced the bloodhounds of the Parliament,
+and were safe on foreign soil.
+
+
+
+
+_CROMWELL AND THE PARLIAMENT._
+
+
+The Parliament of England had defeated and put an end to the king; it
+remained for Cromwell to put an end to the Parliament. "The Rump," the
+remnant of the old Parliament was derisively called. What was left of
+that great body contained little of its honesty and integrity, much of
+its pride and incompetency. The members remaining had become infected
+with the wild notion that they were the governing power in England, and
+instead of preparing to disband themselves they introduced a bill for
+the disbanding of the army. They had not yet learned of what stuff
+Oliver Cromwell was made.
+
+A bill had been passed, it is true, for the dissolution of the
+Parliament, but in the discussion of how the "New Representative" was to
+be chosen it became plainly evident that the members of the Rump
+intended to form part of it, without the formality of re-election. A
+struggle for power seemed likely to arise between the Parliament and the
+army. It could have but one ending, with a man like Oliver Cromwell at
+the head of the latter. The officers demanded that Parliament should
+immediately dissolve. The members resolutely refused. Cromwell growled
+his comments.
+
+"As for the members of this Parliament," he said, "the army begins to
+take them in disgust."
+
+There was ground for it, he continued, in their selfish greed, their
+interference with law and justice, the scandalous lives of many of the
+members, and, above all, their plain intention to keep themselves in
+power.
+
+"There is little to hope for from such men for a settlement of the
+nation," he concluded.
+
+The war with Holland precipitated the result. This war acted as a
+barometer for the Parliament. It was a naval combat. In the first
+meeting of the two fleets the Dutch were defeated, and the mercury of
+Parliamentarian pride rose. In the next combat Van Tromp, the veteran
+Dutch admiral, drove Blake with a shattered fleet into the Thames. Van
+Tromp swept the Channel in triumph, with a broom at his mast-head. The
+hopes of the members went down to zero. They agreed to disband in
+November. Cromwell promised to reduce the army. But Blake put to sea
+again, fought Van Tromp in a four days' running fight, and won the
+honors of the combat. Up again went the mercury of Parliamentary hope
+and pride. The members determined to continue in power, and not only
+claimed the right to remain members of the new Parliament, but even to
+revise the returns of the elected members, and decide for themselves if
+they would have them as fellows.
+
+The issue was now sharply drawn between army and Parliament. The
+officers met and demanded that Parliament should at once dissolve, and
+let the Council of State manage the new elections. A conference was held
+between officers and members, at Cromwell's house, on April 19, 1653. It
+ended in nothing. The members were resolute.
+
+"Our charge," said Haslerig, arrogantly, "cannot be transferred to any
+one."
+
+The conference adjourned till the next morning, Sir Harry Vane engaging
+that no action should be taken till it met again. Yet when it met the
+next morning the leading members of Parliament were absent, Vane among
+them. Their absence was suspicious. Were they pushing the bill through
+the House in defiance of the army?
+
+Cromwell was present,--"in plain black clothes, and gray worsted
+stockings,"--a plain man, but one not safe to trifle with. The officers
+waited a while for the members. They did not come. Instead there came
+word that they were in their seats in the House, busily debating the
+bill that was to make them rulers of the nation without consent of the
+people, hurrying it rapidly through its several stages. If left alone
+they would soon make it a law.
+
+Then the man who had hurled Charles I. from his throne lost his
+patience. This, in his opinion, had gone far enough. Since it had come
+to a question whether a self-elected Parliament, or the army to which
+England owed her freedom, should hold the balance of power, Cromwell was
+not likely to hesitate.
+
+"It is contrary to common honesty!" he broke out, angrily.
+
+Leaving Whitehall, he set out for the House of Parliament, bidding a
+company of musketeers to follow him. He entered quietly, leaving his
+soldiers outside. The House now contained no more than fifty-three
+members. Sir Harry Vane was addressing this fragment of a Parliament
+with a passionate harangue in favor of the bill. Cromwell sat for some
+time in silence, listening to his speech, his only words being to his
+neighbor, St. John.
+
+"I am come to do what grieves me to the heart," he said.
+
+Vane pressed the House to waive its usual forms and pass the bill at
+once.
+
+"The time has come," said Cromwell to Harrison, whom he had beckoned
+over to him.
+
+"Think well," answered Harrison; "it is a dangerous work."
+
+[Illustration: OLIVER CROMWELL.]
+
+The man of fate subsided into silence again. A quarter of an hour more
+passed. Then the question was put "that this bill do now pass."
+
+Cromwell rose, took off his hat, and spoke. His words were strong.
+Beginning with commendation of the Parliament for what it had done for
+the public good, he went on to charge the present members with acts of
+injustice, delays of justice, self-interest, and similar faults, his
+tone rising higher as he spoke until it had grown very hot and
+indignant.
+
+"Your hour is come; the Lord hath done with you," he added.
+
+"It is a strange language, this," cried one of the members, springing up
+hastily; "unusual this within the walls of Parliament. And from a
+trusted servant, too; and one whom we have so highly honored; and
+one----"
+
+"Come, come," cried Cromwell, in the tone in which he would have
+commanded his army to charge, "we have had enough of this." He strode
+furiously into the middle of the chamber, clapped on his hat, and
+exclaimed, "I will put an end to your prating."
+
+He continued speaking hotly and rapidly, "stamping the floor with his
+feet" in his rage, the words rolling from him in a fury. Of these words
+we only know those with which he ended.
+
+"It is not fit that you should sit here any longer! You should give
+place to better men! You are no Parliament!" came from him in harsh and
+broken exclamations. "Call them in," he said, briefly, to Harrison.
+
+At the word of command a troop of some thirty musketeers marched into
+the chamber. Grim fellows they were, dogs of war,--the men of the Rump
+could not face this argument; it was force arrayed against law,--or what
+called itself law,--wrong against wrong, for neither army nor Parliament
+truly represented the people, though just then the army seemed its most
+rightful representative.
+
+"I say you are no Parliament!" roared the lord-general, hot with anger.
+"Some of you are drunkards." His eye fell on a bottle-loving member.
+"Some of you are lewd livers; living in open contempt of God's
+commandments." His hot gaze flashed on Henry Marten and Sir Peter
+Wentworth. "Following your own greedy appetites and the devil's
+commandments; corrupt, unjust persons, scandalous to the profession of
+the gospel: how can you be a Parliament for God's people? Depart, I say,
+and let us have done with you. In the name of God--go!"
+
+These words were like bomb-shells exploded in the chamber of Parliament.
+Such a scene had never before and has never since been seen in the House
+of Commons. The members were all on their feet, some white with terror,
+some red with indignation. Vane fearlessly faced the irate general.
+
+"Your action," he said, hotly, "is against all right and all honor."
+
+"Ah, Sir Harry Vane, Sir Harry Vane," retorted Cromwell, bitterly, "you
+might have prevented all this; but you are a juggler, and have no common
+honesty. The Lord deliver me from Sir Harry Vane!"
+
+The retort was a just one. Vane had attempted to usurp the government.
+Cromwell turned to the speaker, who obstinately clung to his seat,
+declaring that he would not yield it except to force.
+
+"Fetch him down!" roared the general.
+
+"Sir, I will lend you a hand," said Harrison.
+
+Speaker Lenthall left the chair. One man could not resist an army.
+Through the door glided, silent as ghosts, the members of Parliament.
+
+"It is you that have forced me to this," said Cromwell, with a shade of
+regret in his voice. "I have sought the Lord night and day, that He
+would rather slay me than put upon me the doing of this work."
+
+He had, doubtless; he was a man of deep piety and intense bigotry; but
+the Lord's answer, it is to be feared, came out of the depths of his own
+consciousness. Men like Cromwell call upon God, but answer for Him
+themselves.
+
+"What shall be done with this bauble?" said the general, lifting the
+sacred mace, the sign-manual of government by the representatives of the
+people. "Take it away!" he finished, handing it to a musketeer.
+
+His flashing eyes followed the retiring members until they all had left
+the House. Then the musketeers filed out, followed by Cromwell and
+Harrison. The door was locked, and the key and mace carried away by
+Colonel Otley.
+
+A few hours afterwards the Council of State, the executive committee of
+Parliament, was similarly dissolved by the lord-general, who, in person,
+bade its members to depart.
+
+"We have heard," cried John Bradshaw, one of its members, "what you have
+done this morning at the House, and in some hours all England will hear
+it. But you mistake, sir, if you think the Parliament dissolved. No
+power on earth can dissolve the Parliament but itself, be sure of that."
+
+The people did hear it,--and sustained Cromwell in his action. Of the
+two sets of usurpers, the army and a non-representative Parliament, they
+preferred the former.
+
+"We did not hear a dog bark at their going," said Cromwell, afterwards.
+
+It was not the first time in history that the army had overturned
+representative government. In this case it was not done with the design
+of establishing a despotism. Cromwell was honest in his purpose of
+reforming the administration, and establishing a Parliamentary
+government. But he had to do with intractable elements. He called a
+constituent convention, giving to it the duty of paving the way to a
+constitutional Parliament. Instead of this, the convention began the
+work of reforming the constitution, and proposed such radical changes
+that the lord-general grew alarmed. Doubtless his musketeers would have
+dealt with the convention as they had done with the Rump Parliament, had
+it not fallen to pieces through its own dissensions. It handed back to
+Cromwell the power it had received from him. He became the lord
+protector of the realm. The revolutionary government had drifted,
+despite itself, into a despotism. A despotism it was to remain while
+Cromwell lived.
+
+
+
+
+_THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY._
+
+
+Frightful was the state of Londonderry. "No surrender" was the ultimatum
+of its inhabitants, "blockade and starvation" the threat of the
+besiegers; the town was surrounded, the river closed, relief seemed
+hopeless, life, should the furious besiegers break in, equally hopeless.
+Far off, in the harbor of Lough Foyle, could be seen the English ships.
+Thirty vessels lay there, laden with men and provisions, but they were
+able to come no nearer. The inhabitants could see them, but the sight
+only aggravated their misery. Plenty so near at hand! Death and
+destitution in their midst! Frightful, indeed, was their extremity.
+
+The Foyle, the river leading to the town, was fringed with hostile forts
+and batteries, and its channel barricaded. Several boats laden with
+stone had been sunk in the channel. A row of stakes was driven into the
+bottom of the stream. A boom was formed of trunks of fir-trees, strongly
+bound together, and fastened by great cables to the shore. Relief from
+the fleet, with the river thus closed against it, seemed impossible. Yet
+scarcely two days' supplies were left in the town, and without hasty
+relief starvation or massacre seemed the only alternatives.
+
+Let us relate the occasion of this siege. James II. had been driven from
+England, and William of Orange was on the throne. In his effort to
+recover his kingdom, James sought Ireland, where the Catholic peasantry
+were on his side. His appearance was the signal for fifty thousand
+peasants to rise in arms, and for the Protestants to fly from peril of
+massacre. They knew their fate should they fall into the hands of the
+half-savage peasants, mad with years of misrule.
+
+In the north, seven thousand English fugitives fled to Londonderry, and
+took shelter behind the weak wall, manned by a few old guns, and without
+even a ditch for defence, which formed the only barrier between them and
+their foes. Around this town gathered twenty-five thousand besiegers,
+confident of quick success. But the weakness of the battlements was
+compensated for by the stoutness of the hearts within. So fierce were
+the sallies of the desperate seven thousand, so severe the loss of the
+besiegers in their assaults, that the attempt to carry the place by
+storm was given up, and a blockade substituted. From April till the end
+of July this continued, the condition of the besieged daily growing
+worse, the food-supply daily growing less. Such was the state of affairs
+at the date with which we are specially concerned.
+
+Inside the town, at that date, the destitution had grown heart-rending.
+The fire of the enemy was kept up more briskly than ever, but famine and
+disease killed more than cannon-balls. The soldiers of the garrison
+were so weak from privation that they could scarcely stand; yet they
+repelled every attack, and repaired every breach in the walls as fast as
+made. The damage done by day was made good at night. For the garrison
+there remained a small supply of grain, which was given out by
+mouthfuls, and there was besides a considerable store of salted hides,
+which they gnawed for lack of better food. The stock of animals had been
+reduced to nine horses, and these so lean and gaunt that it seemed
+useless to kill them for food.
+
+The townsmen were obliged to feed on dogs and rats, an occasional small
+fish caught in the river, and similar sparse supplies. They died by
+hundreds. Disease aided starvation in carrying them off. The living were
+too few and too weak to bury the dead. Bodies were left unburied, and a
+deadly and revolting stench filled the air. That there was secret
+discontent and plottings for surrender may well be believed. But no such
+feeling dared display itself openly. Stubborn resolution and vigorous
+defiance continued the public tone. "No surrender" was the general cry,
+even in that extremity of distress. And to this voices added, in tones
+of deep significance, "First the horses and hides; then the prisoners;
+and then each other."
+
+Such was the state of affairs on July 28, 1689. Two days' very sparse
+rations alone remained for the garrison. At the end of that time all
+must end. Yet still in the distance could be seen the masts of the
+ships, holding out an unfulfilled promise of relief; still hope was not
+quite dead in the hearts of the besieged. Efforts had been made to send
+word to the town from the fleet. One swimmer who attempted to pass the
+boom was drowned. Another was caught and hanged. On the 13th of July a
+letter from the fleet, sewed up in a cloth button, reached the commander
+of the garrison. It was from Kirke, the general in command of the party
+of relief, and promised speedy aid. But a fortnight and more had passed
+since then, and still the fleet lay inactive in Lough Foyle, nine miles
+away, visible from the summit of the Cathedral, yet now tending rather
+to aggravate the despair than to sustain the hopes of the besieged.
+
+The sunset hour of July 28 was reached. Services had been held that
+afternoon in the Cathedral,--services in which doubtless the help of God
+was despairingly invoked, since that of man seemed in vain. The
+heart-sick people left the doors, and were about to disperse to their
+foodless homes, when a loud cry of hope and gladness came from the
+lookout in the tower above their heads.
+
+"They are coming!" was the stirring cry. "The ships are coming up the
+river! I can see their sails plainly! Relief is coming!"
+
+How bounded the hearts of those that heard this gladsome cry! The
+listeners dispersed, carrying the glad news to every corner of the town.
+Others came in hot haste, eager to hear further reports from the lookout
+tower. The town, lately so quiet and depressed, was suddenly filled with
+activity. Hope swelled every heart, new life ran in every vein; the
+news was like a draught of wine that gave fresh spirit to the most
+despairing soul.
+
+And now other tidings came. There was a busy stir in the camp of the
+besiegers. They were crowding to the river-banks. As far as the eye
+could see, the stream was lined. The daring ships had a gauntlet of fire
+to run. Their attempt seemed hopeless, indeed. The river was low. The
+channel which they would have to follow ran near the left bank, where
+numerous batteries had been planted. They surely would never succeed.
+Yet still they came, and still the lookout heralded their movements to
+the excited multitude below.
+
+The leading ship was the Mountjoy, a merchant-vessel laden heavily with
+provisions. Its captain was Micaiah Browning, a native of Londonderry.
+He had long advised such an attempt, but the general in command had
+delayed until positive orders came from England that something must be
+done.
+
+On hearing of this, Browning immediately volunteered. He was eager to
+succor his fellow-townsmen. Andrew Douglas, captain of the Phoenix, a
+vessel laden with meal from Scotland, was willing and anxious to join in
+the enterprise. As an escort to these two merchantmen came the
+Dartmouth, a thirty-six-gun frigate, its commander John Leake,
+afterwards an admiral of renown.
+
+Up the stream they came, the Dartmouth in the lead, returning the fire
+of the forts with effect, pushing steadily onward, with the merchantmen
+closely in the rear. At length the point of peril was reached. The boom
+extended across the stream, seemingly closing all further passage. But
+that remained to be seen. The Mountjoy took the lead, all its sails
+spread, a fresh breeze distending the canvas, and rushed head on at the
+boom.
+
+A few minutes of exciting suspense followed, then the great barricade
+was struck, strained to its utmost, and, with a rending sound, gave way.
+So great was the shock that the Mountjoy rebounded and stuck in the mud.
+A yell of triumph came from the Irish who crowded the banks. They rushed
+to their boats, eager to board the disabled vessel; but a broadside from
+the Dartmouth sent them back in disordered flight.
+
+In a minute more the Phoenix, which had followed close, sailed through
+the breach which the Mountjoy had made, and was past the boom.
+Immediately afterwards the Mountjoy began to move in her bed of mud. The
+tide was rising. In a few minutes she was afloat and under way again,
+safely passing through the barrier of broken stakes and spars. But her
+brave commander was no more. A shot from one of the batteries had struck
+and killed him, when on the very verge of gaining the highest honor that
+man could attain,--that of saving his native town from the horrors of
+starvation or massacre.
+
+While this was going on, the state of feeling of the lean and hungry
+multitude within the town was indescribable. Night had fallen before the
+ships reached the boom. The lookout could no longer see and report
+their movements. Intense was the suspense. Minutes that seemed hours
+passed by. Then, in the distance, the flash of guns could be seen. The
+sound of artillery came from afar to the ears of the expectant citizens.
+But the hope which this excited went down when the shout of triumph rose
+from the besiegers as the Mountjoy grounded. It was taken up and
+repeated from rank to rank to the very walls of the city, and the hearts
+of the besieged sank dismally. This cry surely meant failure. The
+miserable people grew livid with fear. There was unutterable anguish in
+their eyes, as they gazed with despair into one another's pallid faces.
+
+A half-hour more passed. The suspense continued. Yet the shouts of
+triumph had ceased. Did it mean repulse or victory? "Victory! victory!"
+for now a spectral vision of sails could be seen, drawing near the town.
+They grew nearer and plainer; dark hulls showed below them; the vessels
+were coming! the town was saved!
+
+Wild was the cry of glad greeting that went up from thousands of
+throats, soul-inspiring the cheers that came, softened by distance, back
+from the ships. It was ten o'clock at night. The whole population had
+gathered at the quay. In came the ships. Loud and fervent were the
+cheers and welcoming cries. In a few minutes more the vessels had
+touched the wharves, well-fed sailors and starved townsmen were
+fraternizing, and the long months of misery and woe were forgotten in
+the intense joy of that supreme moment of relief.
+
+Many hands now made short work. Wasted and weak as were the townsmen,
+hope gave them strength. A screen of casks filled with earth was rapidly
+built up to protect the landing-place from the hostile batteries on the
+other side of the river. Then the unloading began. The eyes of the
+starving inhabitants distended with joy as they saw barrel after barrel
+rolled ashore, until six thousand bushels of meal lay on the wharf.
+Great cheeses came next, beef-casks, flitches of bacon, kegs of butter,
+sacks of peas and biscuit, until the quay was piled deep with
+provisions.
+
+One may imagine with what tears of joy the soldiers and people ate their
+midnight repast that night. Not many hours before the ration to each man
+of the garrison had been half a pound of tallow and three-quarters of a
+pound of salted hide. Now to each was served out three pounds of flour,
+two pounds of beef, and a pint of peas. There was no sleep for the
+remainder of the night, either within or without the walls. The bonfires
+that blazed along the whole circuit of the walls told the joy within the
+town. The incessant roar of guns told the rage without it. Peals of
+bells from the church-towers answered the Irish cannon; shouts of
+triumph from the walls silenced the cries of anger from the batteries.
+It was a conflict of joy and rage.
+
+Three days more the batteries continued to roar. But on the night of
+July 31 flames were seen to issue from the Irish camp; on the morning of
+August 1 a line of scorched and smoking ruins replaced the
+lately-occupied huts, and along the Foyle went a long column of pikes
+and standards, marking the retreat of the besieging army.
+
+The retreat became a rout. The men of Enniskillen charged the retreating
+army of Newtown Butler, struggling through a bog to fall on double their
+number, whom they drove in a panic before them. The panic spread through
+the whole army. Horse and foot, they fled. Not until they had reached
+Dublin, then occupied by King James, did the retreat stop, and
+confidence return to the baffled besiegers of Londonderry.
+
+Thus ended the most memorable siege in the history of the British
+islands. It had lasted one hundred and five days. Of the seven thousand
+men of the garrison but about three thousand were left. Of the besiegers
+probably more had fallen than the whole number of the garrison.
+
+To-day Londonderry is in large measure a monument to its great siege.
+The wall has been carefully preserved, the summit of the ramparts
+forming a pleasant walk, the bastions being turned into pretty little
+gardens. Many of the old culverins, which threw lead-covered bricks
+among the Irish ranks, have been preserved, and may still be seen among
+the leaves and flowers. The cathedral is filled with relics and
+trophies, and over its altar may be observed the French flag-staffs,
+taken by the garrison in a desperate sally, the flags they once bore
+long since reduced to dust. Two anniversaries are still kept,--that of
+the day on which the gates were closed, that of the day on which the
+siege was raised,--salutes, processions, banquets, addresses, sermons
+signalizing these two great events in the history of a city which passed
+through so frightful a baptism of war, but has ever since been the abode
+of peace.
+
+
+
+
+_THE HUNTING OF BRAEMAR._
+
+
+In the great forest of Braemar, in the Highlands of Scotland, was
+gathered a large party of hunters, chiefs, and clansmen, all dressed in
+the Highland costume, and surrounded by extensive preparations for the
+comfort and enjoyment of all concerned. Seldom, indeed, had so many
+great lords been gathered for such an occasion. On the invitation of the
+Earl of Mar, within whose domain the hunt was to take place, there had
+come together the Marquises of Huntly and Tulliebardine, the Earls of
+Nithsdale, Marischal, Traquair, Errol, and several others, and numerous
+viscounts, lords, and chiefs of clans, many of the most important of the
+nobility and clan leaders of the Highlands being present.
+
+With these great lords were hosts of clansmen, all attired in the
+picturesque dress of the Highlands, and so numerous that the convocation
+had the appearance of a small army, the sport of hunting in those days
+being often practised on a scale of magnificence resembling war. The red
+deer of the Highlands were the principal game, and the method of hunting
+usually employed could not be conducted without the aid of a large body
+of men. Around the broad extent of wild forest land and mountain
+wilderness, which formed the abiding-place of these animals, a circuit
+of hunters many miles in extent was formed. This circuit was called the
+_tinchel_. Upon a given signal, the hunters composing the circle began
+to move inwards, rousing the deer from their lairs, and driving them
+before them, with such other animals as the forest might contain.
+
+Onward moved the hunters, the circle steadily growing less, and the
+terrified beasts becoming more crowded together, until at length they
+were driven down some narrow defile, along whose course the lords and
+gentlemen had been posted, lying in wait for the coming of the deer, and
+ready to show their marksmanship by shooting such of the bucks as were
+in season.
+
+The hunt with which we are at present concerned, however, had other
+purposes than the killing of deer. The latter ostensible object
+concealed more secret designs, and to these we may confine our
+attention. It was now near the end of August, 1715. At the beginning of
+that month, the Earl of Mar, in company with General Hamilton and
+Colonel Hay, had embarked at Gravesend, on the Thames, all in disguise
+and under assumed names. To keep their secret the better, they had taken
+passage on a coal sloop, agreeing to work their way like common seamen;
+and in this humble guise they continued until Newcastle was reached,
+where a vessel in which they could proceed with more comfort was
+engaged. From this craft they landed at the small port of Elie, on the
+coast of Fife, a country then well filled with Jacobites, or adherents
+to the cause of the Stuart princes. Such were the mysterious
+preliminary steps towards the hunting-party in the forest of Braemar.
+
+In truth, the hunt was little more than a pretence. While the clansmen
+were out forming the tinchel, the lords were assembled in secret
+convocation, in which the Earl of Mar eloquently counselled resistance
+to the rule of King George, and the taking of arms in the cause of James
+Francis Edward, son of the exiled James II., and, as he argued, the only
+true heir to the English throne. He told them that he had been promised
+abundant aid in men and money from France, and assured them that a
+rising in Scotland would be followed by a general insurrection in
+England against the Hanoverian dynasty. He is said to have shown letters
+from the Stuart prince, the Chevalier de St. George, as he was called,
+making the earl his lieutenant-general and commander-in-chief of the
+armies of Scotland.
+
+How many red deer were killed on this occasion no one can say. The noble
+guests of Mar had other things to think of than singling out fat bucks.
+None of them opposed the earl in his arguments, and in the end it was
+agreed that all should return home, raise what forces they could by the
+3d of September, and meet again on that day at Aboyne, in Aberdeenshire,
+where it would be settled how they were to take the field.
+
+Thus ended that celebrated hunt of Braemar, which was destined to bring
+tears and blood to many a household in Scotland, through loyal devotion
+to a prince who was not worth the sacrifice, and at the bidding of an
+earl who was considered by many as too versatile in disposition to be
+fully trusted. An anecdote is given in evidence of this opinion. The
+castle of Braemar was, as a result of the hunt, so overflowing with
+guests, that many of the gentlemen of secondary importance could not be
+accommodated with beds, but were forced to spend the night around the
+kitchen fire,--a necessity then considered no serious matter by the
+hardy Scotch. But such was not the opinion of all present. An English
+footman, a domestic of the earl, came pushing among the gentlemen,
+complaining bitterly at having to sit up all night, and saying that
+rather than put up with much of this he would go back to his own country
+and turn Whig. As to his Toryism, however, he comforted himself with the
+idea that he served a lord who was especially skilful in escaping
+danger.
+
+"Let my lord alone," he said; "if he finds it necessary, he can turn
+cat-in-pan with any man in England."
+
+While these doings were in progress in the Highlands, the Jacobites were
+no less active in the Lowlands, and an event took place in the
+metropolis of Scotland which showed that the spirit of disaffection had
+penetrated within its walls. This was an attempt to take the castle of
+Edinburgh by surprise,--an exploit parallel in its risky and daring
+character with those told of the Douglas and other bold lords at an
+earlier period.
+
+The design of scaling this almost inaccessible stronghold was made by a
+Mr. Arthur, who had been an ensign in the Scots' Guards and quartered in
+the castle, and was, therefore, familiar with its interior arrangement.
+He found means to gain over, by cash and promises, a sergeant and two
+privates, who agreed that, when on duty as sentinels on the walls over
+the precipice to the north, they would draw up rope-ladders, and fasten
+them by grappling-irons at their top to the battlements of the castle.
+This done, it would be easy for an armed party to scale the walls and
+make themselves masters of the stronghold. Arthur's plan did not end
+with the mere capture of the fortress. He had arranged a set of signals
+with the Earl of Mar, consisting of a beacon displayed at a fixed point
+on the castle walls, three rounds of artillery, and a succession of
+fires flashing the news from hill-top to hill-top. The earl, thus
+apprised of the success of the adventurers, was to hasten south with all
+the force he could bring, and take possession of Edinburgh.
+
+The scheme was well devised, and might have succeeded but for one of
+those unlucky chances which have defeated so many well-laid plans.
+Agents in the enterprise could be had in abundance. Fifty Highlanders
+were selected, picked men from Lord Drummond's estates in Perthshire. To
+these were added fifty others chosen from the Jacobites of Edinburgh.
+Drummond, otherwise known as MacGregor, of Bahaldie, was given the
+command. The scheme was one of great moment. Its success would give the
+Earl of Mar a large supply of money, arms, and ammunition, deposited in
+the fortress, and control of the greater part of Scotland, while
+affording a ready means of communication with the English malcontents.
+
+Unluckily for the conspirators, they had more courage than prudence.
+Eighteen of the younger men were, on the night fixed, amusing themselves
+with drinking in a public-house, and talked with such freedom that the
+hostess discovered their secret. She told a friend that the party
+consisted of some young gentlemen who were having their hair powdered in
+order to go to an attack on the castle. Arthur, the originator of the
+enterprise, also made what proved to be a dangerous revelation. He
+engaged his brother, a doctor, in the scheme. The brother grew so
+nervous and low-spirited that his wife, seeing that something was amiss
+with him, gave him no rest until he had revealed the secret. She,
+perhaps to save her husband, perhaps from Whig proclivities, instantly
+sent an anonymous letter to Sir Adam Cockburn, lord justice-clerk of
+Edinburgh, apprising him of the plot. He at once sent the intelligence
+to the castle. His messenger reached there at a late hour, and had much
+difficulty in gaining admittance. When he did so, the deputy-governor
+saw fit to doubt the improbable tidings sent him. The only precaution he
+took was to direct that the rounds and patrols should be made with
+great care. With this provision for the safety of the castle, he went
+to bed, doubtless with the comfortable feeling that he had done all that
+could be expected of a reasonable man in so improbable a case.
+
+While this was going on, the storming-party had collected at the
+church-yard of the West Kirk, and from there proceeded to the chosen
+place at the foot of the castle walls. There had been a serious failure,
+however, in their preparations. They had with them a part of the
+rope-ladders on which their success depended, but he who was to have
+been there with the remainder--Charles Forbes, an Edinburgh merchant,
+who had attended to their making--was not present, and they awaited him
+in vain.
+
+Without him nothing could be done; but, impatient at the delay, the
+party made their way with difficulty up the steep cliff, and at length
+reached the foot of the castle wall. Here they found on duty one of the
+sentinels whom they had bribed; but he warned them to make haste, saying
+that he was to be relieved at twelve o'clock, and after that hour he
+could give them no aid.
+
+The affair was growing critical. The midnight hour was fast approaching,
+and Forbes was still absent. Drummond, the leader, had the sentinel to
+draw up the ladder they had with them and fasten it to the battlements,
+to see if it were long enough for their purpose. He did so; but it
+proved to be more than a fathom short.
+
+[Illustration: EDINBURGH CASTLE.]
+
+And now happened an event fatal to their enterprise. The information
+sent the deputy-governor, and his direction that the patrols should be
+alert, had the effect of having them make the rounds earlier than usual.
+They came at half-past eleven instead of at twelve. The sentinel,
+hearing their approaching steps, had but one thing to do for his own
+safety. He cried out to the party below, with an oath,--
+
+"Here come the rounds I have been telling you of this half-hour; you
+have ruined both yourselves and me; I can serve you no longer."
+
+With these words, he loosened the grappling-irons and flung down the
+ladders, and, with the natural impulse to cover his guilty knowledge of
+the affair, fired his musket, with a loud cry of "Enemies!"
+
+This alarm cry forced the storming-party to fly with all speed. The
+patrol saw them from the wall and fired on them as they scrambled
+hastily down the rocks. One of them, an old man, Captain McLean, rolled
+down the cliff and was much hurt. He was taken prisoner by a party of
+the burgher guard, whom the justice-clerk had sent to patrol the outside
+of the walls. They took also three young men, who protested that they
+were there by accident, and had nothing to do with the attempt. The rest
+of the party escaped. In their retreat they met Charles Forbes, coming
+tardily up with the ladders which, a quarter of an hour earlier, might
+have made them masters of the castle, but which were now simply an
+aggravation.
+
+It does not seem that any one was punished for this attempt, beyond the
+treacherous sergeant, who was tried, found guilty, and hanged, and the
+deputy-governor, who was deprived of his office and imprisoned for some
+time. No proof could be obtained against any one else.
+
+As for the conspirators, indeed, it is probable that the most of them
+found their way to the army of the Earl of Mar, who was soon afterwards
+in the field at the head of some twelve thousand armed men, pronouncing
+himself the general of His Majesty James III.,--known to history as the
+"Old Pretender."
+
+What followed this outbreak it is not our purpose to describe. It will
+suffice to say that Mar was more skilful as a conspirator than as a
+general, that his army was defeated by Argyle at Sheriffmuir, and that,
+when Prince James landed in December, it was to find his adherents
+fugitives and his cause in a desperate state. Perceiving that success
+was past hope, he made his way back to France in the following month,
+the Earl of Mar going with him, and thus, as his English footman had
+predicted, escaping the fate which was dealt out freely to those whom he
+had been instrumental in drawing into the outbreak. Many of these paid
+with their lives for their participation in the rebellion, but Mar lived
+to continue his plotting for a number of years afterwards, though it
+cannot be said that his later plots were more notable for success than
+the one we have described.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FLIGHT OF PRINCE CHARLES._
+
+
+It was early morning on the Hebrides, that crowded group of rocky
+islands on the west coast of Scotland where fish and anglers much do
+congregate. From one of these, South Uist by name, a fishing-boat had
+put out at an early hour, and was now, with a fresh breeze in its sail,
+making its way swiftly over the ruffled waters of the Irish Channel. Its
+occupants, in addition to the two watermen who managed it, were three
+persons,--two women and a man. To all outward appearance only one of
+these was of any importance. This was a young lady of bright and
+attractive face, dressed in a plain and serviceable travelling-costume,
+but evidently of good birth and training. Her companions were a man and
+a maid-servant, the latter of unusual height for a woman, and with an
+embrowned and roughened face that indicated exposure to severe hardships
+of life and climate. The man was a thorough Highlander, red-bearded,
+shock-haired, and of weather-beaten aspect.
+
+The boat had already made a considerable distance from the shore when
+its occupants found themselves in near vicinity to another small craft,
+which was moving lazily in a line parallel to the island coast. At a
+distance to right and left other boats were visible. The island waters
+seemed to be patrolled. As the fishing-boat came near, the craft just
+mentioned shifted its course and sailed towards it. It was sufficiently
+near to show that it contained armed men, one of them in uniform. A hail
+now came across the waters.
+
+"What boat is that? Whom have you on board?"
+
+"A lady; on her way to Skye," answered the boatman.
+
+"Up helm, and lay yourself alongside of us. We must see who you are."
+
+The fishermen obeyed. They had reason to know that, just then, there was
+no other course to pursue. In a few minutes the two boats were riding
+side by side, lifting and falling lazily on the long Atlantic swell. The
+lady looked up at the uniformed personage, who seemed an officer.
+
+"My name is Flora McDonald," she said. "These persons are my servants.
+My father is in command of the McDonalds on South Uist. I have been
+visiting at Clanranald, and am now on my way home."
+
+"Forgive me, Miss McDonald," said the officer, courteously; "but our
+orders are precise; no one can leave the island without a pass."
+
+"I know it," she replied, with dignity, "and have provided myself. Here
+is my passport, signed by my father."
+
+The officer took and ran his eye over it quickly: "Flora McDonald; with
+two servants, Betty Bruce and Malcolm Rae," he read. His gaze moved
+rapidly over the occupants of the boat, resting for a moment on the
+bright and intelligent face of the young lady.
+
+"This seems all right, Miss McDonald," he said, respectfully, returning
+her the paper. "You can pass. Good-by, and a pleasant journey."
+
+"Many thanks," she answered. "You should be successful in catching the
+bird that is seeking to fly from that island. Your net is spread wide
+enough."
+
+"I hardly think our bird will get through the meshes," he answered,
+laughingly.
+
+In a few minutes more they were wide asunder. A peculiar smile rested on
+the face of the lady, which seemed reflected from the countenances of
+her attendants, but not a word was said on the subject of the recent
+incident.
+
+Their reticence continued until the rocky shores of the Isle of Skye
+were reached, and the boat was put into one of the many inlets that
+break its irregular contour. Silence, indeed, was maintained until they
+had landed on a rocky shelf, and the boat had pushed off on its return
+journey. Then Flora McDonald spoke.
+
+"So far we are safe," she said. "But I confess I was frightfully scared
+when that patrol-boat stopped us."
+
+"You did not look so," said Betty Bruce, in a voice of masculine depth.
+
+"I did not dare to," she answered. "If I had looked what I felt, we
+would never have passed. But let us continue our journey. We have no
+time to spare."
+
+It was a rocky and desolate spot on which they stood, the rugged
+rock-shelves which came to the water's edge gradually rising to high
+hills in the distance. But as they advanced inland the appearance of the
+island improved, and signs of human habitation appeared. They had not
+gone far before the huts of fishermen and others became visible, planted
+in little clearings among the rocks, whose inmates looked with eyes of
+curiosity on the strangers. This was particularly the case when they
+passed through a small village, at no great distance inland. Of the
+three persons, it was the maid-servant, Betty Bruce, that attracted most
+attention, her appearance giving rise to some degree of amusement. Nor
+was this without reason. The woman was so ungainly in appearance, and
+walked with so awkward a stride, that the skirts which clung round her
+heels seemed a decided incumbrance to her progress. Her face, too,
+presented a roughness that gave hint of possibilities of a beard. She
+kept unobtrusively behind her mistress, her peculiar gait set the
+goodwives of the village whispering and laughing as they pointed her
+out.
+
+For several miles the travellers proceeded, following the general
+direction of the coast, and apparently endeavoring to avoid all
+collections of human habitations. Now and then, however, they met
+persons in the road, who gazed at them with the same curiosity as those
+they had already passed.
+
+The scenery before them grew finer as they advanced. Near nightfall they
+came near mountainous elevations, abutting on the sea-shore in great
+cliffs of columnar basalt, a thousand feet and more in height, over
+which leaped here and there waterfalls of great height and beauty. Their
+route now lay along the base of these cliffs, on the narrow strip of
+land between them and the sea.
+
+Here they paused, just as the sun was shedding its last rays upon the
+water. Seating themselves on some protruding boulders, they entered into
+conversation, the fair Flora's face presenting an expression of doubt
+and trouble.
+
+"I do not like the looks of the people," she said. "They watch you too
+closely. And we are still in the country of Sir Alexander, a land filled
+with our enemies. If you were only a better imitation of a woman."
+
+"Faith, I fear I'm but an awkward sample," answered Betty, in a voice of
+man-like tone. "I have been doing my best, but----"
+
+"But the lion cannot change his skin," supplied the lady. "This will not
+do. We must take other measures. But our first duty is to find the
+shelter fixed for to-night. It will not do to tarry here till it grows
+dark."
+
+They rose and proceeded, following Malcolm, who acted as guide. The
+place was deserted, and Betty stepped out with a stride of most
+unmaidenly length, as if to gain relief from her late restraint. Her
+manner now would have revealed the secret to any shrewd observer. The
+ungainly maid-servant was evidently a man in disguise.
+
+We cannot follow their journey closely. It will suffice to say that the
+awkwardness of the assumed Betty gave rise to suspicion on more than one
+occasion in the next day or two. It became evident that, if the secret
+of the disguised personage was not to be discovered, they must cease
+their wanderings; some shelter must be provided, and a safer means of
+progress be devised.
+
+A shelter was obtained,--one that promised security. In the base of the
+basaltic cliffs of which we have spoken many caverns had been excavated
+by the winter surges of the sea. In one of these, near the village of
+Portree, and concealed from too easy observation, the travellers found
+refuge. Food was obtained by Malcolm from the neighboring settlement,
+and some degree of comfort provided for. Leaving her disguised companion
+in this shelter, with Malcolm for company, Flora went on. She had
+devised a plan of procedure not without risk, but which seemed
+necessary. It was too perilous to continue as they had done during the
+few past days.
+
+Leaving our travellers thus situated, we will go back in time to
+consider the events which led to this journey in disguise. It was now
+July, the year being 1746. On the 16th of April of the same year a
+fierce battle had been fought on Culloden moor between the English army
+under the Duke of Cumberland and the host of Highlanders led by Charles
+Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender." Fierce had been the fray, terrible
+the bloodshed, fatal the defeat of the Highland clans. Beaten and
+broken, they had fled in all directions for safety, hotly pursued by
+their victorious foes.
+
+Prince Charles had fought bravely on the field; and, after the fatal
+disaster, had fled--having with him only a few Irish officers whose good
+faith he trusted--to Gortuleg, the residence of Lord Lovat. If he hoped
+for shelter there, he found it not. He was overcome with distress; Lord
+Lovat, with fear and embarrassment. No aid was to be had from Lovat,
+and, obtaining some slight refreshment, the prince rode on.
+
+He obtained his next rest and repast at Invergarry, the castle of the
+laird of Glengarry, and continued his journey into the west Highlands,
+where he found shelter in a village called Glenbeisdale, near where he
+had landed on his expedition for the conquest of England. For nearly a
+year he had been in Scotland, pursuing a career of mingled success and
+defeat, and was now back at his original landing-place, a hopeless
+fugitive. Here some of the leaders of his late army communicated with
+him. They had a thousand men still together, and vowed that they would
+not give up hope while there were cattle in the Highlands or meal in the
+Lowlands. But Prince Charles refused to deal with such a forlorn hope.
+He would seek France, he said, and return with a powerful
+reinforcement. With this answer he left the mainland, sailing for Long
+Island, in the Hebrides, where he hoped to find a French vessel.
+
+And now dangers, disappointments, and hardships surrounded the fugitive.
+The rebellion was at an end; retribution was in its full tide. The
+Highlands were being scoured, the remnants of the defeated army
+scattered or massacred, the adherents of the Pretender seized, and
+Charles himself was sought for with unremitting activity. The islands in
+particular were closely searched, as it was believed that he had fled to
+their shelter. His peril was extreme. No vessel was to be had. Storms,
+contrary winds, various disappointments attended him. He sought one
+hiding-place after another in Long Island and those adjoining, exposed
+to severe hardships, and frequently having to fly from one place of
+shelter to another. In the end he reached the island of South Uist,
+where he found a faithful friend in Clanranald, one of his late
+adherents. Here he was lodged in a ruined forester's hut, situated near
+the summit of the wild mountain called Corradale. Even this remote and
+almost inaccessible shelter grew dangerous. The island was suspected,
+and a force of not less than two thousand men landed on it, with orders
+to search the interior with the closest scrutiny, while small
+war-vessels, cutters, armed boats, and the like surrounded the island,
+rendering escape by water almost hopeless. It was in this critical state
+of affairs that the devotion of a woman came to the rescue of the
+imperilled Prince. Flora McDonald was visiting the family of
+Clanranald. She wished to return to her home in Skye. At her suggestion
+the chief provided her with the attendants whom we have already
+described, her awkward maid-servant Betty Bruce being no less a
+personage than the wandering prince. The daring and devoted lady was
+step-daughter to a chief of Sir Alexander McDonald's clan, who was on
+the king's side, and in command of a section of the party of search.
+From him Flora obtained a passport for herself and two servants, and was
+thus enabled to pass in safety through the cordon of investing boats. No
+one suspected the humble-looking Betty Bruce as being a flying prince.
+And so it was that the bird had passed through the net of the fowlers,
+and found shelter in the island of Skye.
+
+And now we must return to the fugitives, whom we left concealed in a
+basaltic cavern on the rocky coast of Skye. The keen-witted Flora had
+devised a new and bold plan for the safety of her charge, no less a one
+than that of trusting the Lady Margaret McDonald, wife of Sir Alexander,
+with her dangerous secret. This seemed like penetrating the very
+stronghold of the foe; but the women of the Highlands had--most of
+them--a secret leaning to Jacobitism, and Flora felt that she could
+trust her high-born relative.
+
+She did so, telling Lady Margaret her story. The lady heard it with
+intense alarm. What to do she did not know. She would not betray the
+prince, but her husband was absent, her house filled with militia
+officers, and shelter within its walls impossible. In this dilemma she
+suggested that Flora should conduct the disguised prince to the house of
+McDonald of Kingsburgh, her husband's steward, a brave and intelligent
+man, in whom she could fully trust.
+
+Returning to the cavern, the courageous girl did as suggested, and had
+the good fortune to bring her charge through in safety, though more than
+once suspicion was raised. At Kingsburgh the connection of Flora
+McDonald with the unfortunate prince ended. Her wit and shrewdness had
+saved him from inevitable capture. He was now out of the immediate range
+of search of his enemies, and must henceforth trust to his own devices.
+
+From Kingsburgh the fugitive sought the island of Rasa, led by a guide
+supplied by McDonald, and wearing the dress of a servant. The laird of
+Rasa had taken part in the rebellion, and his domain had been plundered
+in consequence. Food was scarce, and Charles suffered great distress. He
+next followed his seeming master to the land of the laird of MacKinnon,
+but, finding himself still in peril, felt compelled to leave the
+islands, and once more landed on the Scottish mainland at Loch Nevis.
+
+Here his peril was as imminent as it had been at South Uist. It was the
+country of Lochiel, Glengarry, and other Jacobite chiefs, and was filled
+with soldiers, diligently seeking the leaders of the insurrection.
+Charles and his guides found themselves surrounded by foes. A complete
+line of sentinels, who crossed each other upon their posts, inclosed the
+district in which he had sought refuge, and escape seemed impossible.
+The country was rough, bushy, and broken; and he and his companions were
+forced to hide in defiles and woodland shelters, where they dared not
+light a fire, and from which they could see distant soldiers and hear
+the calls of the sentinels.
+
+For two days they remained thus cooped up, not knowing at what minute
+they might be taken, and almost hopeless of escape. Fortunately, they
+discovered a deep and dark ravine that led down from the mountains
+through the line of sentries. The posts of two of these reached to the
+edges of the ravine, on opposite sides. Down this gloomy and rough
+defile crept noiselessly the fugitives, hearing the tread of the
+sentinels above their heads as they passed the point of danger. No alarm
+was given, and the hostile line was safely passed. Once more the
+fugitive prince had escaped.
+
+And now for a considerable time Charles wandered through the rough
+Highland mountains, his clothes in rags, often without food and shelter,
+and not daring to kindle a fire; vainly hoping to find a French vessel
+hovering off the coast, and at length reaching the mountains of
+Strathglass. Here he, with Glenaladale, his companion at that time,
+sought shelter in a cavern, only to find it the lurking-place of a gang
+of robbers, or rather of outlaws, who had taken part in the rebellion,
+and were here in hiding. There were seven of these, who lived on sheep
+and cattle raided in the surrounding country.
+
+These men looked on the ragged suppliants of their good-will at first as
+fugitives of their own stamp. But they quickly recognized, in the most
+tattered of the wanderers, that "Bonnie Charlie" for whom they had
+risked their lives upon the battle-field, and for whom they still felt a
+passionate devotion. They hailed his appearance among them with
+gladness, and expressed themselves as his ardent and faithful servants
+in life and death.
+
+In this den of robbers the unfortunate prince was soon made more
+comfortable than he had been since his flight from Culloden. Their faith
+was unquestionable, their activity in his service unremitting. Food was
+abundant, and, in addition, they volunteered to provide him with decent
+clothing, and tidings of the movements of the enemy. The first was
+accomplished somewhat ferociously. Two of the outlaws met the servant of
+an officer, on his way to Fort Augustus with his master's baggage. This
+poor fellow they killed, and thus provided their guest with a good stock
+of clothing. Another of them, in disguise, made his way into Fort
+Augustus. Here he learned much about the movements of the troops, and,
+eager to provide the prince with something choice in the way of food,
+brought him back a pennyworth of gingerbread,--a valuable luxury to his
+simple soul.
+
+For three weeks Charles remained with these humble but devoted friends.
+It was not easy to break away from their enthusiastic loyalty.
+
+"Stay with us," they said; "the mountains of gold which the government
+has set upon your head may induce some gentleman to betray you, for he
+can go to a distant country and live upon the price of his dishonor. But
+to us there exists no such temptation. We can speak no language but our
+own, we can live nowhere but in this country, where, were we to injure a
+hair of your head, the very mountains would fall down to crush us to
+death. Do not leave us, then. You will nowhere be so safe as with us."
+
+This advice was hardly to Charles's taste. He preferred court-life in
+France to cave-life in Scotland, and did not cease his efforts to
+escape. His purposes were aided by an instance of enthusiastic devotion.
+A young man named McKenzie, son of an Edinburgh goldsmith, and a
+fugitive officer from the defeated army, happened to resemble the prince
+closely in face and person. He was attacked by a party of soldiers,
+defended himself bravely, and when mortally wounded, cried out, "Ah,
+villains, you have slain your prince!"
+
+His generous design proved successful. His head was cut off, and sent to
+London as that of the princely fugitive, which it resembled so closely
+that it was some time before the mistake was discovered. This error
+proved of the utmost advantage to the prince. The search was greatly
+relaxed, and he found it safe to leave the shelter of his cave, and
+seek some of his late adherents, of whose movements he had been kept
+informed. He therefore bade farewell to the faithful outlaws, with the
+exception of two, who accompanied him as guides and guards.
+
+Safety was not yet assured. It was with much difficulty, and at great
+risk, that he succeeded in meeting his lurking adherents, Lochiel and
+Cluny McPherson, who were hiding in Badenoch. Here was an extensive
+forest, the property of Cluny, extending over the side of a mountain,
+called Benalder. In a deep thicket of this forest was a well-concealed
+hut, called the Cage. In this the fugitives took up their residence, and
+lived there in some degree of comfort and safety, the game of the forest
+and its waters supplying them with abundant food.
+
+Word was soon after brought to Charles that two French frigates had
+arrived at Lochnanuagh, their purpose being to carry him and other
+fugitives to France. The news of their arrival spread rapidly through
+the district, which held many fugitives from Culloden, and on the 20th
+of September Charles and Lochiel, with nearly one hundred others of his
+party, embarked on these friendly vessels, and set sail for France.
+Cluny McPherson refused to go. He remained concealed in his own country
+for several years, and served as the agent by which Charles kept up a
+correspondence with the Highlanders.
+
+On September 29 the fugitive prince landed near Morlaix, in Brittany,
+having been absent from France about fourteen months, five of which had
+been months of the most perilous and precarious series of escapes and
+adventures ever recorded of a princely fugitive in history or romance.
+During these months of flight and concealment several hundred persons
+had been aware of his movements, but none, high or low, noble or outlaw,
+had a thought of betraying his secret. Among them all, the devoted Flora
+McDonald stands first, and her name has become historically famous
+through her invaluable services to the prince.
+
+
+
+
+_TRAFALGAR AND THE DEATH OF NELSON._
+
+
+From the main peak of the flag-ship Victory hung out Admiral Nelson's
+famous signal, "England expects every man to do his duty!" an inspiring
+appeal, which has been the motto of English warriors since that day. The
+fleet under the command of the great admiral was drawing slowly in upon
+the powerful naval array of France, which lay awaiting him off the rocky
+shore of Cape Trafalgar. It was the morning of October 21, 1805, the
+dawn of the greatest day in the naval history of Great Britain.
+
+Let us rapidly trace the events which led up to this scene,--the
+prologue to the drama about to be played. The year 1805 was one of
+threatening peril to England. Napoleon was then in the ambitious youth
+of his power, full of dreams of universal empire, his mind set on an
+invasion of the pestilent little island across the channel which should
+rival the "Invincible Armada" in power and far surpass it in
+performance.
+
+Gigantic had been his preparations. Holland and Belgium were his, their
+coast-line added to that of France. In a hundred harbors all was
+activity, munitions being collected, and flat-bottomed boats built, in
+readiness to carry an invading army to England's shores. The landing of
+William the Conqueror in 1066 was to be repeated in 1805. The land
+forces were encamped at Boulogne. Here the armament was to meet.
+Meanwhile, the allied fleets of France and Spain were to patrol the
+Channel, one part of them to keep Nelson at bay, the other part to
+escort the flotilla bearing the invading army.
+
+While Napoleon was thus busy, his enemies were not idle. The warships of
+England hovered near the French ports, watching all movements, doing
+what damage they could. Lord Nelson keenly observed the hostile fleet.
+To throw him off the track, two French naval squadrons set sail for the
+West Indies, as if to attack the British islands there. Nelson followed.
+Suddenly turning, the decoying squadron came back under a press of sail,
+joined the Spanish fleet, and sailed for England. Nelson had not
+returned, but a strong fleet remained, under Sir Robert Calder, which
+was handled in such fashion as to drive the hostile ships back to the
+harbor of Cadiz.
+
+Such was the state of affairs when Nelson again reached England. Full of
+the spirit of battle, he hoisted his flag on the battle-ship Victory,
+and set sail in search of his foes. There were twenty-seven
+line-of-battle ships and four frigates under his command. The French
+fleet, under Admiral Villeneuve, numbered thirty-three sail of the line
+and seven frigates. Napoleon, dissatisfied with the disinclination of
+his fleet to meet that of England, and confident in its strength,
+issued positive orders, and Villeneuve sailed out of the harbor of
+Cadiz, and took position in two crescent-shaped lines off Cape
+Trafalgar. As soon as Nelson saw him he came on with the eagerness of a
+lion in sight of its prey, his fleet likewise in two lines, his signal
+flags fluttering with the inspiring order, "England expects every man to
+do his duty."
+
+The wind was from the west, blowing in light breezes; a long, heavy
+swell ruffled the sea. Down came the great ships, Collingwood, in the
+Royal Sovereign, commanding the lee-line; Nelson, in the Victory,
+leading the weather division. One order Nelson had given, which breathes
+the inflexible spirit of the man. "His admirals and captains, knowing
+his object to be that of a close and decisive action, would supply any
+deficiency of signals, and act accordingly. In case signals cannot be
+seen or clearly understood, _no captain can do wrong if he places his
+ship alongside that of an enemy_."
+
+Nelson wore that day his admiral's frock-coat, bearing on the breast
+four stars, the emblems of the orders with which he had been invested.
+His officers beheld these ornaments with apprehension. There were
+riflemen on the French ships. He was offering himself as a mark for
+their aim. Yet none dare suggest that he should remove or cover the
+stars. "In honor I gained them, and in honor I will die with them," he
+had said on a previous occasion.
+
+The long swell set in to the bay of Cadiz. The English ships moved with
+it, all sail set, a light southwest wind filling their canvas. Before
+them lay the French ships, with the morning sun on their sails,
+presenting a stately and beautiful appearance.
+
+On came the English fleet, like a flock of giant birds swooping low
+across the ocean. Like a white flock at rest awaited the French
+three-deckers. Collingwood's line was the first to come into action,
+Nelson steering more to the north, that the flight of the enemy to
+Cadiz, in case of their defeat, should be prevented. Straight for the
+centre of the foeman's line steered the Royal Sovereign, taking her
+station side by side with the Santa Anna, which she engaged at the
+muzzle of her guns.
+
+"What would Nelson give to be here!" exclaimed Collingwood, in delight.
+
+"See how that noble fellow, Collingwood, carries his ship into action!"
+responded Nelson from the deck of the Victory.
+
+It was not long before the two fleets were in hot action, the British
+ships following Collingwood's lead in coming to close quarters with the
+enemy. As the Victory approached, the French ships opened with
+broadsides upon her, in hopes of disabling her before she could close
+with them. Not a shot was returned, though men were falling on her decks
+until fifty lay dead or wounded, and her main-top-mast, with all her
+studding-sails and booms, had been shot away.
+
+[Illustration: THE OLD TEMERAIRE.]
+
+"This is too warm work, Hardy, to last," said Nelson, with a smile, as a
+splinter tore the buckle from the captain's shoe.
+
+Twelve o'clock came and passed. The Victory was now well in. Firing from
+both sides as she advanced, she ran in side by side with the
+Redoubtable, of the French fleet, both ships pouring broadsides into
+each other. On the opposite side of the Redoubtable came up the English
+ship Temeraire, while another ship of the enemy lay on the opposite side
+of the latter.
+
+The four ships lay head to head and side to side, as close as if they
+had been moored together, the muzzles of their guns almost touching. So
+close were they that the middle-and lower-deck guns of the Victory had
+to be depressed and fired with light charges, lest their balls should
+pierce through the foe and injure the Temeraire. And lest the
+Redoubtable should take fire from the lower-deck guns, whose muzzles
+touched her side when they were run out, the fireman of each gun stood
+ready with a bucket of water to dash into the hole made by the shot.
+While the starboard guns of the Victory were thus employed, her larboard
+guns were in full play upon the Bucentaure and the huge Santissima
+Trinidad. This warm work was repeated through the entire fleet. Never
+had been closer and hotter action.
+
+The fight had reached its hottest when there came a tragical event that
+rendered the victory at Trafalgar, glorious as it was, a loss to
+England. The Redoubtable, after her first broadside, had closed her
+lower-deck ports, lest the English should board her through them. She
+did not fire another great gun during the action. But her tops, like
+those of her consorts, were filled with riflemen, whose balls swept the
+decks of the assailing ships. One of these, fired from the mizzen-top of
+the Redoubtable, not fifteen yards from where Nelson stood, struck him
+on the left shoulder, piercing the epaulette. It was about quarter after
+one, in the heat of the action. He fell upon his face.
+
+"They have done for me, at last, Hardy," he said, as his captain ran to
+his assistance.
+
+"I hope not!" cried Hardy.
+
+"Yes," he replied, "my backbone is shot through."
+
+A thorough sailor to the last, he saw, as they were carrying him below,
+that the tiller ropes which had been shot away were not replaced, and
+ordered that this should be immediately attended to. Then, that he might
+not be seen by the crew, he spread his handkerchief over his face and
+his stars. But for his needless risk in revealing them before, he might
+have lived.
+
+The cockpit was crowded with the wounded and dying men. Over their
+bodies he was carried, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen's berth.
+The wound was mortal. A brief examination showed this. He had known it
+from the first, and said to the surgeon,--
+
+"Leave me, and give your services to those for whom there is some hope.
+You can do nothing for me."
+
+Such was the fact. All that could be done was to fan him, and relieve
+his intense thirst with lemonade. On deck the fight continued with
+undiminished fury. The English star was in the ascendant. Ship after
+ship of the enemy struck, the cheers of the crew of the Victory
+heralding each surrender, while every cheer brought a smile of joy to
+the face of the dying veteran.
+
+"Will no one bring Hardy to me?" he repeatedly cried. "He must be
+killed! He is surely dead!"
+
+In truth, the captain dared not leave the deck. More than an hour
+elapsed before he was able to come down. He grasped in silence the hand
+of the dying admiral.
+
+"Well, Hardy, how goes the day with us?" asked Nelson, eagerly.
+
+"Very well," was the answer. "Ten ships have struck; but five of the van
+have tacked, and show an intention to bear down upon the Victory. I have
+called two or three of our fresh ships around, and have no doubt of
+giving them a drubbing."
+
+"I hope none of our ships have struck," said Nelson.
+
+"There is no fear of that," answered Hardy.
+
+Then came a moment's silence, and then Nelson spoke of himself.
+
+"I am a dead man, Hardy," he said. "I am going fast; it will be all
+over with me soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady Hamilton have my
+hair and all other things belonging to me."
+
+"I hope it is not so bad as that," said Hardy, with much emotion. "Dr.
+Beatty must yet hold out some hope of life."
+
+"Oh, no, that is impossible," said Nelson. "My back is shot through:
+Beatty will tell you so."
+
+Captain Hardy grasped his hand again, the tears standing in his eyes,
+and then hurried on deck to hide the emotion he could scarcely repress.
+
+Life slowly left the frame of the dying hero: every minute he was nearer
+death. Sensation vanished below his breast. He made the surgeon test and
+acknowledge this.
+
+"You know I am gone," he said. "I know it. I feel something rising in my
+breast which tells me so."
+
+"Is your pain great?" asked Beatty.
+
+"So great, that I wish I were dead. Yet," he continued, in lower tones,
+"one would like to live a little longer, too."
+
+A few moments of silence passed; then he said in the same low tone,--
+
+"What would become of my poor Lady Hamilton if she knew my situation?"
+
+Fifteen minutes elapsed before Captain Hardy returned. On doing so, he
+warmly grasped Nelson's hand, and in tones of joy congratulated him on
+the victory which he had come to announce.
+
+"How many of the enemy are taken, I cannot say," he remarked; "the
+smoke hides them; but we have not less than fourteen or fifteen."
+
+"That's well," cried Nelson, "but I bargained for twenty. Anchor, Hardy,
+anchor!" he commanded, in a stronger voice.
+
+"Will not Admiral Collingwood take charge of the fleet?" hinted Hardy.
+
+"Not while I live, Hardy," answered Nelson, with an effort to lift
+himself in his bed. "Do you anchor."
+
+Hardy started to obey this last order of his beloved commander. In a low
+tone Nelson called him back.
+
+"Don't throw me overboard, Hardy," he pleaded. "Take me home that I may
+be buried by my parents, unless the king shall order otherwise. And take
+care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy; take care of poor Lady Hamilton.
+Kiss me, Hardy."
+
+The weeping captain knelt and kissed him.
+
+"Now I am satisfied," said the dying hero. "Thank God, I have done my
+duty."
+
+Hardy stood and looked down, in sad silence upon him, then again knelt
+and kissed him on the forehead.
+
+"Who is that?" asked Nelson.
+
+"It is I, Hardy," was the reply.
+
+"God bless you, Hardy," came in tones just above a whisper.
+
+Hardy turned and left. He could bear no more. He had looked his last on
+his old commander.
+
+"I wish I had not left the deck," said Nelson; "for I see I shall soon
+be gone."
+
+It was true; life was fast ebbing.
+
+"Doctor," he said to the chaplain, "I have not been a _great_ sinner."
+He was silent a moment, and then continued, "Remember that I leave Lady
+Hamilton and my daughter Horatia as a legacy to my country."
+
+Words now came with difficulty.
+
+"Thank God, I have done my duty," he said, repeating these words again
+and again. They were his last words. He died at half-past four, three
+and a quarter hours after he had been wounded.
+
+Meanwhile, Nelson's prediction had been realized: twenty French ships
+had struck their flags. The victory of Trafalgar was complete;
+Napoleon's hope of invading England was at an end. Nelson, dying, had
+saved his country by destroying the fleet of her foes. Never had a sun
+set in greater glory than did the life of this hero of the navy of Great
+Britain, the ruler of the waves.
+
+
+
+
+_THE MASSACRE OF AN ARMY._
+
+
+The sentinels on the ramparts of Jelalabad, a fortified post held by the
+British in Afghanistan, looking out over the plain that extended
+northward and westward from the town, saw a singular-looking person
+approaching. He rode a pony that seemed so jaded with travel that it
+could scarcely lift a foot to continue, its head drooping low as it
+dragged slowly onward. The traveller seemed in as evil plight as his
+horse. His head was bent forward upon his breast, the rein had fallen
+from his nerveless grasp, and he swayed in the saddle as if he could
+barely retain his seat. As he came nearer, and lifted his face for a
+moment, he was seen to be frightfully pale and haggard, with the horror
+of an untold tragedy in his bloodshot eyes. Who was he? An Englishman,
+evidently, perhaps a messenger from the army at Cabul. The officers of
+the fort, notified of his approach, ordered that the gates should be
+opened. In a short time man and horse were within the walls of the town.
+
+So pitiable and woe-begone a spectacle none there had ever beheld. The
+man seemed almost a corpse on horseback. He had fairly to be lifted from
+his saddle, and borne inward to a place of shelter and repose, while the
+animal was scarcely able to make its way to the stable to which it was
+led. As the traveller rested, eager questions ran through the garrison.
+Who was he? How came he in such a condition? What had he to tell of the
+army in the field? Did his coming in this sad plight portend some dark
+disaster?
+
+This curiosity was shared by the officer in command of the fort. Giving
+his worn-out guest no long time to recover, he plied him with inquiries.
+
+"You are exhausted," he said. "I dislike to disturb you, but I beg leave
+to ask you a few questions."
+
+"Go on sir; I can answer," said the traveller, in a weary tone.
+
+"Do you bring a message from General Elphinstone,--from the army?"
+
+"I bring no message. There is no army,--or, rather, I am the army," was
+the enigmatical reply.
+
+"You the army? I do not understand you."
+
+"I represent the army. The others are gone,--dead, massacred,
+prisoners,--man, woman, and child. I, Doctor Brydon, am the army,--all
+that remains of it."
+
+The commander heard him in astonishment and horror. General Elphinstone
+had seventeen thousand soldiers and camp-followers in his camp at Cabul.
+"Did Dr. Brydon mean to say----"
+
+"They are all gone," was the feeble reply. "I am left; all the others
+are slain. You may well look frightened, sir; you would be heart-sick
+with horror had you gone through my experience. I have seen an army
+slaughtered before my eyes, and am here alone to tell it."
+
+It was true; the army had vanished; an event had happened almost without
+precedent in the history of the world, unless we instance the burying of
+the army of Cambyses in the African desert. When Dr. Brydon was
+sufficiently rested and refreshed he told his story. It is the story we
+have here to repeat.
+
+In the summer of 1841 the British army under General Elphinstone lay in
+cantonments near the city of Cabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in a
+position far from safe or well chosen. They were a mile and a half from
+the citadel,--the Bala Hissar,--with a river between. Every corner of
+their cantonments was commanded by hills or Afghan forts. Even their
+provisions were beyond their reach, in case of attack, being stored in a
+fort at some distance from the cantonments. They were in the heart of a
+hostile population. General Elphinstone, trusting too fully in the
+puppet of a khan who had been set up by British bayonets, had carelessly
+kept his command in a weak and untenable position.
+
+The general was old and in bad health; by no means the man for the
+emergency. He was controlled by bad advisers, who thought only of
+returning to India, and discouraged the strengthening of the fortress.
+The officers lost heart on seeing the supineness of their leader. The
+men were weary of incessant watching, annoyed by the insults of the
+natives, discouraged by frequent reports of the death of comrades, who
+had been picked off by roving enemies. The ladies alone retained
+confidence, occupying themselves in the culture of their gardens, which,
+in the delightful summer climate of that situation, rewarded their
+labors with an abundance of flowers.
+
+As time went on the situation grew rapidly worse. Akbar Khan, the
+leading spirit among the hostile Afghans, came down from the north and
+occupied the Khoord Cabul Pass,--the only way back to Hindustan.
+Ammunition was failing, food was decreasing, the enemy were growing
+daily stronger and more aggressive. Affairs had come to such a pass that
+but one of two things remained to do,--to leave the cantonments and seek
+shelter in the citadel till help should arrive, or to endeavor to march
+back to India.
+
+On the 23d of December the garrison was alarmed by a frightful example
+of boldness and ferocity in the enemy. Sir William Macnaughten, the
+English envoy, who had left the works to treat with the Afghan chiefs,
+was seized by Akbar Khan and murdered on the spot, his head, with its
+green spectacles, being held up in derision to the soldiers within the
+works.
+
+The British were now "advised" by the Afghans to go back to India. There
+was, in truth, nothing else to do. They were starving where they were.
+If they should fight their way to the citadel, they would be besieged
+there without food. They must go, whatever the risk or hardships. On
+the 6th of January the fatal march began,--a march of four thousand five
+hundred soldiers and twelve thousand camp-followers, besides women and
+children, through a mountainous country, filled with savage foes, and in
+severe winter weather.
+
+The first day's march took them but five miles from the works, the
+evacuation taking place so slowly that it was two o'clock in the morning
+before the last of the force came up. It had been a march of frightful
+conditions. Attacked by the Afghans on every side, hundreds of the
+fugitives perished in those first five dreadful miles. As the advance
+body waited in the snow for those in the rear to join them, the glare of
+flames from the burning cantonments told that the evacuation had been
+completed, and that the whole multitude was now at the mercy of its
+savage foes. It was evident that they had a frightful gantlet to run
+through the fire of the enemy and the winters chilling winds. The snow
+through which they had slowly toiled was reddened with blood all the way
+back to Cabul. Baggage was abandoned, and men and women alike pushed
+forward for their lives, some of them, in the haste of flight, but
+half-clad, few sufficiently protected from the severe cold.
+
+The succeeding days were days of massacre and horror. The fierce
+hill-tribes swarmed around the troops, attacking them in front, flank,
+and rear, pouring in their fire from every point of vantage, slaying
+them in hundreds, in thousands, as they moved hopelessly on. The
+despairing men fought bravely. Many of the foe suffered for their
+temerity. But they were like prairie-wolves around the dying bison; the
+retreating force lay helpless in their hands; two new foes took the
+place of every one that fell.
+
+Each day's horrors surpassed those of the last. The camp-followers died
+in hundreds from cold and starvation, their frost-bitten feet refusing
+to support them. Crawling in among the rugged rocks that bordered the
+road, they lay there helplessly awaiting death. The soldiers fell in
+hundreds. It grew worse as they entered the contracted mountain-pass
+through which their road led. Here the ferocious foe swarmed among the
+rocks, and poured death from the heights upon the helpless fugitives. It
+was impossible to dislodge them. Natural breastworks commanded every
+foot of that terrible road. The hardy Afghan mountaineers climbed with
+the agility of goats over the hill-sides, occupying hundreds of points
+which the soldiers could not reach. It was a carnival of slaughter.
+Nothing remained for the helpless fugitives but to push forward with all
+speed through that frightful mountain-pass and gain as soon as possible
+the open ground beyond.
+
+Few gained it. On the fourth day from Cabul there were but two hundred
+and seventy soldiers left. The fifth day found the seventeen thousand
+fugitives reduced to five thousand. A day more, and these five thousand
+were nearly all slain. Only twenty men remained of the great body of
+fugitives which had left Cabul less than a week before. This handful of
+survivors was still relentlessly pursued. A barrier detained them for a
+deadly interval under the fire of the foe, and eight of the twenty died
+in seeking to cross it. The pass was traversed, but the army was gone. A
+dozen worn-out fugitives were all that remained alive.
+
+On they struggled towards Jelalabad, death following them still. They
+reached the last town on their road; but six of them had fallen. These
+six were starving. They had not tasted food for days. Some peasants
+offered them bread. They devoured it like famished wolves. But as they
+did so the inhabitants of the town seized their arms and assailed them.
+Two of them were cut down. The others fled, but were hotly pursued.
+Three of the four were overtaken and slain within four miles of
+Jelalabad. Dr. Brydon alone remained, and gained the fort alone, the
+sole survivor, as he believed and reported, of the seventeen thousand
+fugitives. The Afghan chiefs had boasted that they would allow only one
+man to live, to warn the British to meddle no more with Afghanistan.
+Their boast seemed literally fulfilled. Only one man had traversed in
+safety that "valley of the shadow of death."
+
+Fortunately, there were more living than Dr. Brydon was aware of. Akbar
+Khan had offered to save the ladies and children if the married and
+wounded officers were delivered into his hands. This was done. General
+Elphinstone was among the prisoners, and died in captivity, a relief to
+himself and his friends from the severe account to which the government
+would have been obliged to call him.
+
+Now for the sequel to this story of suffering and slaughter. The
+invasion of Afghanistan by the English had been for the purpose of
+protecting the Indian frontier. A prince, Shah Soojah, friendly to
+England, was placed on the throne. This prince was repudiated by the
+Afghan tribes, and to their bitter and savage hostility was due the
+result which we have briefly described. It was a result with which the
+British authorities were not likely to remain satisfied. The news of the
+massacre sent a thrill of horror through the civilized world.
+Retribution was the sole thought in British circles in India. A strong
+force was at once collected to punish the Afghans and rescue the
+prisoners. Under General Pollock it fought its way through the Khyber
+Pass and reached Jelalabad. Thence it advanced to Cabul, the soldiers,
+infuriated by the sight of the bleaching skeletons that thickly lined
+the roadway, assailing the Afghans with a ferocity equal to their own.
+Wherever armed Afghans were met death was their portion. Nowhere could
+they stand against the maddened English troops. Filled with terror, they
+fled for safety to the mountains, the invading force having terribly
+revenged their slaughtered countrymen.
+
+It next remained to rescue the prisoners. They had been carried about
+from fort to fort, suffering many hardships and discomforts, but not
+being otherwise maltreated. They were given up to the British, after the
+recapture of Cabul, with the hope that this would satisfy these terrible
+avengers. It did so. The fortifications of Cabul were destroyed, and the
+British army was withdrawn from the country. England had paid bitterly
+for the mistake of occupying it. The bones of a slaughtered army paved
+the road that led to the Afghan capital.
+
+
+
+
+_THE ROYAL AND DIAMOND JUBILEES OF QUEEN VICTORIA._
+
+
+In the year 1887 came a great occasion in the life of England's queen,
+that of the fiftieth anniversary of her reign, a year of holiday and
+festivity that extended to all quarters of the world, for the broad
+girdle of British dominion had during her reign extended to embrace the
+globe. India led the way, the rejoicing over the royal jubilee of its
+empress extending throughout its vast area, from the snowy passes of the
+Himalayas on the north to the tropic shores of Cape Comorin on the
+south. Other colonies joined in the festivities, the loyal Canadians
+vieing with the free-hearted Australians, the semi-bronzed Africanders
+and the planters of the West Indies, in the celebration of the joyous
+anniversary year.
+
+In the history of England there have been only four such jubilees, the
+earlier ones being those of Henry III., Edward III., and George III. It
+is a curious coincidence that of these three sovereigns preceding
+Victoria whose reigns extended over fifty years, each of them was the
+third of his name. Victoria broke the rule in this as well as in the
+breadth and splendor of the jubilee display and rejoicings. To show this
+a few lines must be devoted to these earlier occasions.
+
+The reign of Henry III. was memorable as being that in which trial by
+jury was introduced and the first real English Parliament, that summoned
+by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, was held. It was this that
+gives eclat to the jubilee year, 1265, for it was in that year that the
+first Parliament convened. Yet sorrow rather than rejoicing marked the
+year, for the horrors of civil war rent the land and the bloody battle
+of Evesham saddened all loyal souls.
+
+The jubilee of Edward III. came in 1376, when that monarch entered the
+fiftieth year of his reign. This was a year fitted for rejoicing, for
+the age was one of glory and prosperity. The horrors of the "black
+death," which had swept the land some twenty years before, were
+forgotten and men were in a happy mood. We read of tournaments,
+processions, feasts and pageantry in which all the people participated.
+Yet sorrow came before the year ended, for the death of the "Black
+Prince," the most brilliant hero of chivalry, was sorely mourned by his
+father, the king, and by the subjects of the realm, while the rising
+clouds of civil war threw a gloom on the end of the jubilee year, as
+they had on that of Henry.
+
+More than four centuries elapsed before another jubilee year arrived,
+that of George III., the fiftieth year of whose reign came in 1810. It
+was a year of festivities that spread widely over the land, the people
+entering into it with all the Anglo-Saxon love of holiday. In addition
+to the grand state banquets, splendid balls, showy reviews and general
+illuminations, there were open-air feasts free to all, at which bullocks
+were roasted whole, while army and navy deserters were pardoned,
+prisoners of war set free, and a great subscription was made for the
+release from prison of poor debtors.
+
+Yet there was little in the character of the king or the state of the
+country to justify these festivities. England was then in the throes of
+its struggle with Napoleon; the king had lost his reason, the Prince of
+Wales acting as regent; the only reason for rejoicing was that the
+inglorious career of George III. seemed nearing its end. Yet he survived
+for ten years more, not dying until 1820, and surpassing all
+predecessors in the length of his reign.
+
+When, in the year 1887, Queen Victoria reached the fiftieth year of her
+reign, there were none of these causes for sorrow in her realm. England
+was in the height of prosperity, free from the results of blighting
+pestilence, disastrous wars, desolating famine, or any of the horrors
+that steep great nations in heart-breaking sorrow. The empire was
+immense in extent, prosperous in all its parts, and the queen was
+beloved throughout her wide dominions as no monarch of England had ever
+been before. Thus it was a year in which the people could rejoice
+without a shadow to darken their joy and with warm love for their queen
+to make their hilarity a real instead of a simulated one.
+
+It was in far-off India, of which Victoria had been proclaimed empress
+ten years before, that the first note of rejoicing was heard. The 16th
+of February was selected as the date of the imperial festival, which was
+celebrated all over the land, even in Mandalay, the capital of the
+newly-conquered state of Upper Burmah. Europeans and natives alike took
+part in the ceremonies and rejoicings, which embraced banquets, plays,
+reviews, illuminations, the distribution of honors, the opening in honor
+of the empress of libraries, colleges and hospitals, and at Gwalior the
+cancelling of the arrears of the land-tax amounting to five million
+dollars.
+
+The fiftieth year of the queen's reign would be completed on the 20th of
+June, but in the preceding months of the year many preliminary
+ceremonies took place in England. Among these was a splendid reception
+of the queen at Birmingham, which city she visited on the 23d of March.
+The streets were richly decorated with flags, festoons, triumphal
+arches, banks of flowers, and trophies illustrating the industries of
+that metropolis of manufacture, while the streets were thronged with
+half a million of rejoicing people. A striking feature of the occasion
+was a semi-circle of fifteen thousand school-children, a mile long, the
+teachers standing behind each school-group, and a continuous strain of
+"God Save the Queen" hailing the royal progress along the line.
+
+On the 4th of May the queen received at Windsor Castle the
+representatives of the colonial governments, whose addresses showed that
+during her reign the colonial subjects of the empire had increased from
+less than 2,000,000 to more than 9,000,000 souls, the Indian subjects
+from 96,000,000 to 254,000,000, and those of minor dependencies from
+2,000,000 to 7,000,000.
+
+There were various other incidents connected with the Jubilee during
+May, one being a visit of the queen to the American "Wild West Show,"
+and another the opening of the "People's Palace" at Whitechapel, in
+which fifteen thousand troops were ranged along seven miles of
+splendidly decorated streets, while the testimony of the people to their
+affection for their queen was as enthusiastic as it had been at
+Birmingham. Day after day other ceremonial occasions arrived, including
+banquets, balls, assemblies and public festivities of many kinds, from
+the feeding of four thousand of the poor at Glasgow to a yacht race
+around the British Islands.
+
+The great Jubilee celebration, however, was reserved for the 21st of
+June, the chief streets of London being given over to a host of
+decorators, who transformed them into a glowing bower of beauty. The
+route set aside for the imposing procession was one long array of
+brilliant color and shifting brightness almost impossible to describe
+and surpassing all former festive demonstrations.
+
+The line of the royal procession extended from Buckingham Palace to
+Westminster Abbey, along which route windows and seats had been secured
+at fabulous prices, while the throng of sightseers that densely crowded
+the streets was in the best of good humor.
+
+As the procession moved slowly along from Buckingham Palace a strange
+silence fell upon the gossipping crowd as they awaited the coming of the
+aged queen, on her way to the old Abbey to celebrate in state the
+fiftieth year of her reign. When the head of the procession moved onward
+and the royal carriages came within sight, the awed feeling that had
+prevailed was followed by one of tumultuous enthusiasm, volley after
+volley of cheers rending the air as the carriage bearing the royal lady
+passed between the two dense lines of loyal spectators.
+
+With a face tremulous with emotion the queen bowed from side to side in
+grateful courtesy to her acclaiming subjects, as did her companions, the
+Princess of Wales and the German Crown Princess, who had returned to her
+native land to take part in its holiday of patriotism.
+
+Six cream-colored horses drew the stately carriage in which the royal
+party rode, the Duke of Cambridge and an escort accompanying it, while a
+body-guard of princes followed, the Prince of Wales being mounted on a
+golden chestnut horse and sharing with his mother the cheers of the
+throng. Preceding this escort and the queen's carriage was a series of
+carriages in which were seated the sumptuously appareled Indian princes,
+clothed in cloth of gold and wearing turbans glittering with diamonds
+and other precious gems. Prominent in the group of mounted princes was
+the German Crown Prince Frederick, who succeeded to the throne as
+Emperor Frederick III. in the following March and died in the following
+June, in less than a year from his appearance in the Jubilee. But there
+was no presage of his quick-coming death in his present appearance, his
+white uniform and plumed silver helmet attracting general admiration,
+while he sat his horse as proudly as a knight of old and was covered
+with medals and decorations significant of his prowess in battle. A
+gorgeous cavalcade of natives of India completed the procession, than
+which none of greater brilliance had ever been seen in London streets.
+
+In the Abbey were gathered from nine to ten thousand spectators, of the
+noblest families of the land, and dressed in their most effective
+attire, while the lights brought out the glitter of thousands of
+gleaming gems. The queen herself, while dressed in rich black, wore a
+bonnet of white Spanish lace that glittered with diamonds.
+
+[Illustration: WINDSOR CASTLE, NORTH FRONT.]
+
+As she entered the Abbey the organ pealed forth the strains of a
+triumphal march. There followed a Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, brief
+and simple, and special prayers by the Archbishop of Canterbury. As a
+finale to the impressive scene the queen, moved to deep emotion,
+embraced with warm affection the princes and princesses of her house,
+and, with a deep bow to her foreign guests, withdrew from the scene, to
+return to the palace over the same route and through similar
+demonstrations of enthusiastic loyalty.
+
+All over England and Ireland and in the colonies the day was celebrated
+by joyous celebrations, and in foreign lands, especially in the United
+States, the British residents fittingly honored the festive occasion.
+
+On the following day, in Hyde Park, London, the queen drove in state
+down a long and happy line of twenty-seven thousand school-children, who
+had been made happy by a banquet and various amusements, besides being
+given a multitude of toys. The special feature of the occasion was the
+presentation by the queen of a specially manufactured jubilee-ring,
+which she gave with a kind speech to a very happy twelve-year-old girl
+who had attended school for several years without missing a session.
+
+There was also a review of fifty-six thousand volunteers at Aldershot, a
+grand review of one hundred and thirty-five warships at Spithead, and
+other ceremonies, one of the chief of which was the laying by the queen,
+on the 4th of July, of the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute in
+the Albert Hall, this Institute being intended to stand as a sign of the
+essential unity of the British Empire.
+
+The well-loved queen of the British nation was to live to celebrate in
+health and strength another jubilee year, that of the sixtieth
+anniversary of her reign, a distinction in which she stands alone in
+the history of the island kingdom. George III., who came nearest, died a
+few months before the completion of his sixty years' period. Had he
+lived to fulfil it there would have been no celebration, for he had
+become a broken wreck, blind and hopelessly insane, a man who lived
+despised and died unmourned.
+
+But Victoria, though nearly eighty years of age, had still several years
+to live and was fully capable of performing the duties of her position.
+No monarch of England had reigned so long, none had enjoyed to so great
+an extent the love and respect of the people, in no previous reign had
+there been an equal progress in all that conduces to happiness and
+prosperity, in none had the dominion of the throne of Great Britain so
+widely extended, and it was felt for many reasons desirable to make the
+Diamond Jubilee, as it was termed, the occasion for the most magnificent
+demonstration that either England or the world had ever yet seen.
+
+In all its features the observance lasted a month. It was not confined
+to the British Isles, but extended to the dominions of the queen
+throughout the world, in all of which some form of festive celebration
+took place. But the chief and great event of the occasion was the
+unrivalled procession in London on the 22d of June, 1897, an affair in
+which all the world took part, not only representatives of the
+wide-sweeping possessions of the British crown, but dignitaries from
+most of the other nations of the world being present to add grandeur
+and completeness to the splendid display.
+
+To describe it in full would need far more space than we have at
+command, and we must confine ourselves to its salient features. It began
+at midnight of the 21st, at which hour, under a clear, star-lit sky, the
+streets were already thronged with people in patient waiting and the
+bells of all London in tumultuous peal announced the advent of the
+jubilee day, while from the vast throng ringing cheers and the singing
+of "God Save the Queen" hailed the happy occasion.
+
+When the new day dawned and the auspicious sunlight brightened the
+scene, the streets devoted to the procession, more than six miles in
+length, appeared one vast blaze of color and display of decorations, the
+jubilee colors, red, white and blue, being everywhere seen, while the
+medley of wreaths, festoons, banners, colored globes and balloons,
+pennons, shields, fir and laurel evergreens, and other emblems of
+festivity, were innumerable and bewildering in their variety.
+
+The march began at 9.45, and came as a welcome relief to the vast throng
+that for hours had been wearily waiting. Its first contingent was the
+colonial military procession, in which representatives of the whole
+world seemed present in distinctive attire. It was a moving picture of
+soldiers from every continent and many of the great isles of the sea,
+massed in a complex and extraordinary display.
+
+Chief in command, following a squadron of the Royal Horse Guards, rode
+Lord Roberts, the famed and popular general, who was hailed with an
+uproar of shouts of "Hurrah for Bobs!" Close behind him came a troop of
+the Canadian Hussars and the Northwest mounted police, escorting Sir
+Wilfred Laurier, the premier of Canada. Premier Reid, of New South
+Wales, followed, escorted by the New South Wales Lancers and the Mounted
+Rifles, with their gray sombreros and black cocks' plumes.
+
+In rapid succession, escorting the premiers of the several colonies,
+came other contingents of troops, each wearing some distinctive uniform,
+including those of Victoria, New Zealand, Queensland, Cape Colony, South
+Australia, Newfoundland, Tasmania, Natal and West Australia. Then came
+mounted troops from many other localities of the British empire,
+reaching from Hong Kong in the East to Jamaica in the West, and fairly
+girdling the globe in their wide variety.
+
+Among the oddities of this complex multitude we may name the Zaptiehs
+from Cyprus, wearing the Turkish fez and bonnet; the olive-faced Borneo
+Dyaks; the Chinese police from Hong Kong, with saucepan-like hats
+shading their yellow faces; the Royal Niger Hausses, with their shaved
+heads and shining black skins; and other picturesquely attired examples
+of the men of varied climes.
+
+Such was the colonial parade, a marvellous display from the "far-thrown"
+British realm. It was followed by the home military parade, which
+formed a carnival of gorgeous costume and color; scarlet and blue, gold,
+white and yellow; shining cuirasses and polished helmets, waving plumes
+and glittering tassels; splendid trappings for horses and more splendid
+ones for men; horse and foot and batteries of artillery; death-dealing
+weapons of every kind; all marching to the stirring music of richly
+accoutred bands and under treasured banners for which the men in the
+ranks were ready to die.
+
+Led by Captain Ames, the tallest man in the British army, followed by
+four of the tallest troopers of the Life Guards,--a regiment of very
+tall men--the soldierly procession, as it wound onward under the
+propitious sun, seemed like nothing so much as some bright stream of
+burnished gold flowing between dark banks of human beings.
+
+The colonial and military parade having passed, there followed that part
+of the display to which all this was preliminary, the royal procession,
+in which her Majesty the Queen was once more to show her venerable form
+to her assembled people. Preceding the gorgeous chariot of the queen,
+with its famous eight cream-colored Hanoverian horses, appeared its
+military escort, a glittering cavalcade of splendidly uniformed
+officers, its chief figures being Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-chief of
+the Army, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of
+Connaught, the Duke of Westminster, and the Lord Lieutenant of London.
+
+In the escort were also included foreign military and naval dignitaries,
+in alphabetical order, beginning with Austria and ending with the United
+States, the latter represented by General Nelson A. Miles, in full
+uniform and riding a splendid horse. The whole was bewildering in its
+variety. From Germany came a deputation of the First Prussian Dragoon
+Guards, splendid looking soldiers, sent as a special compliment from the
+Kaiser. But most brilliant of all was a group of officers of the
+Imperial Service Troops of India, in the most gorgeous of uniforms.
+Behind these came in two-horse landaus the special envoys from the
+various American and European nations.
+
+The escort of princes included the Marquis of Lorne, son-in-law of the
+queen, the Duke of York, the Duke of Fife, and among notable foreign
+princes, the Grand Duke Servius of Russia, the Crown Prince Dando of
+Montenegro, and Mohammed Ali Khan, brother of the Khedive of Egypt, who
+rode a pure white Arabian charger.
+
+The hour of eleven had passed when Queen Victoria descended the steps of
+the palace and entered the awaiting carriage, each of whose horses was
+led by a "walking man" in the royal livery and a huntsman's black-velvet
+cap, while the postilions were dressed in scarlet and gold coats, white
+trousers and riding boots, each livery having cost $600.
+
+Through miles of wildly enthusiastic people the carriage wound, the
+chief feature of its progress being the formal crossing of the boundary
+of ancient London at Temple Bar, where the old ceremony of the
+submission of the city to the sovereign was performed, the Lord Mayor
+presenting the hilt of the city sword--"Queen Elizabeth's pearl
+sword,"--presented by the queen to the corporation during a ceremony in
+1570. The touching of the hilt by the queen, in acceptance of
+submission, completed this ceremony, and the carriage rolled on to St.
+Paul's Cathedral, where a brief service was performed.
+
+The next stop was at the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor presented
+the Lord Mayoress and the attendant maids of honor handed the queen a
+beautiful silver basket filled with gorgeous orchids. The palace was
+finally reached at 1.45, when a gun in Hyde Park announced that the
+procession was over, and the great event had passed into history. An
+outburst of cheers followed this final salute and the vast throng,
+millions in number, broke and vanished, carrying to their homes vivid
+memories of the most brilliant affair the great metropolis of London had
+ever seen.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15), by Charles Morris
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORICAL TALES, VOL. 4 (OF 15) ***
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